


Driving With Wolves 2

by siriuslywinchester



Series: Driving With Wolves [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Gen, Pregnancy, Supernatural - Freeform, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 28,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4526412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslywinchester/pseuds/siriuslywinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the aftermath of Driving With Wolves, the Formula 1 world tries to come to terms with what happened at the Canadian Grand Prix. </p><p>Tagged as MCD as it follows on from DWW.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="archiveofourown.org/users/girlinthevortex">girlinthevortex</a> for proof reading.</p><p>Characters, Relationships, Tags and Warnings will be updated as required.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The press conference was in full flow. All the important people in the formula 1 paddock were present. The media were shouting questions over one another, trying to get the answers they wanted. Trying to find someone to blame for what had happened.

Sebastian sat in the midst of it, representative of the Drivers Association, his team Ferrari and as Kimi's friend. He stared down at his hands, unable to take in anything that was happening as his mind replayed the events over and over.

Kimi. Dead. The knife sticking out of his chest. The marshalls dragging Sebastian away. The car in flames. Everything that Kimi and Sebastian had spoken about now dust in the wind. There had to have been another way. Why hadn't the Finn just listened and let him help? Why hadn't he given Sebastian more time to find a solution?

And Heikki. Heikki was gone too. Two of Sebastian's best friends gone in one weekend.

Sebastian wondered why nobody was asking questions about Heikki's death. Didn't they realise it was all related? Nobody seemed to have put two and two together. Nobody else seemed to understand how close to the supernatural they really were.

He gripped his fingers around the blackened long tooth that he'd claimed from the remains of the fire. It had been around his neck ever since he found it - a last reminder of his friend and the truth of what had happened. It was almost a comfort as it pinched into his skin, a reminder that Sebastian was still alive.

"Sebastian?" the man whose voice was shouting across the room to get his attention looked expectantly as he blinked back tears and turned to Bernie in hope that the chief executive would help.

The older man glanced across and furrowed his brow. He turned back to the media and closed his notepad as though formally ending the meeting.

"I think that's enough questions," Bernie said, standing and pulling Sebastian out of his seat and guiding him out of the room amid flashing cameras and last minute shouted questions.

Outside the room, the German could still hear the frantic babble and the rush of people trying to leave the press room, each eager to be the first to report on what had happened, but Bernie dragged him further down the corridor and into an empty office where it finally fell silent.

"Sebastian," Bernie began, once they were both inside, his hands on the driver’s shoulders. "I think you need to take a break. Go home. Don't talk to the media. Take some time. I shouldn't have dragged you in front of that lot, I'm sorry. There's a taxi outside for you. Go back to the hotel. Britta will join you there. What you witnessed today... It will take time to heal."

Bernie released Sebastian's shoulder and picked the tooth up from his chest, rubbing it between his fingers.

"Remember, Kimi is still with you in spirit."

\-----

_"...The crash happened at the first corner of the race when Raikkonen appeared to go straight on, causing a collision with team mate Vettel. Officials say that Raikkonen had stabbed himself at some point between the start of the race and the collision and was dead before the car hit the wall. Despite both Vettel and track officials trying, they could not release Raikkonen from the car before it went up in flames. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says it is a huge loss to the motorsport world."_

Minttu watched the news through the bars of her cage; her arms, waist and legs shackled in chains that were cemented into the walls. She was laid on some blankets that were spread across the floor, twisted uncomfortably so that the manacles wouldn't dig into her skin. She'd been trying to sleep, having injected herself with a sedative. The television was on in the background, mostly for comfort, but the story had caught her attention and suddenly she felt sick to the bone.

An image flashed up of the driver that had lost his life in the Grand Prix earlier that day. His face was familiar - probably from local news and magazines - but something niggled in the back of Minttu's mind. It was something more than just remembering him from magazines. She felt a loss inside, like she had when her father had been caught and killed all those years before.

It suddenly hit her, her mind racing back to the months before. The night she still had terrible dreams about.

_Her heart was racing as she dropped to the ground, her knees cracking as they hit the floor. If she could just drag herself into the cage and shut the door..._

_She'd been so busy tidying the house ready for her friends coming to visit that she had lost track of time. As she'd moved to close the curtains the full moon had shone down on her, the light it reflected through the window almost blinding her. She'd tried to run into the garage and into the cage but it was no good. Her hands transformed into paws and she knew that even if she made it inside the cage, she'd never manage to lock the door._

_She remembered racing through the fields, her legs carrying her faster and faster, the feel of freedom causing her tongue to loll out the side of her mouth and trail in the wind. She remembered reaching the dense forest and darting between the trees, her eyes picking out the way and her brain responding faster than a human would be able to._

_She remembered the scent of human sweat and the sound of feet slapping on the pathway as they ran by. She remembered the taste of the human’s blood as she bit into his thigh and how it mingled with her own as a tooth came loose as she tried to drag the fainted form into the bushes._

_She remembered the pain when she realised, too late, what she had done. Her human mind overwhelming the wolf and shouting until it backed down, covering the limp body with leaves before dashing back across the fields and away to the house._

She could never remember much after that. She knew she had awoken the next morning, naked and cold, in her own garden. Her mouth had been covered with dried blood and when she'd looked in the mirror, there was a gaping hole where a tooth should be. She knew she should have woken up locked in the cage, chained up and wrapped in blankets. She knew that since she hadn't, something terrible must have happened - the blood was all the proof she needed there.

She'd managed to convince herself that the blood had been her own - spilled when she'd lost her tooth - but the flashback caused her to shudder. She knew the truth now. She'd seen it this time.

She snapped back to reality, panting and sobbing as panic took over her. Her skin already began to crawl with fur and her bones snapped to take the now familiar shape of the wolf she became every moon cycle. The chains gripped her limbs, making her fall to the floor, and her sobs turned to quiet whining as she laid her huge wolf head on the blankets and growled at the TV screen. 

In the nightmares before, the face of an unknown human that she had chased and bitten had always been blurred, a person with no name, but now the face was clear and she knew who the victim was.

She remembered what happened that night. She remembered who she had attacked.

Kimi Raikkonen.

The dream snapped into her waking mind and this time she tried to stop herself. Tried to make the wolf back away but she had no control. The wolf pounced and she could almost taste the blood again as her fang sunk through lycra and pale skin and the body fell to the floor. 

She had to do something. She had to make this right. Kimi didn't deserve this fate, no more than she did. She had to fix it.

Her body had swelled to twice the size. Covered in thick black fur, with piercing green eyes. Her muzzle was long, with teeth sharp as knives filling all but one space in her strong jaw. Her legs pulled against the chains and she dropped onto the blankets, too exhausted to fight for freedom.

Her last thought before the sedative finally kicked in was of self-blame for ruining a poor man's life with her own stupid mistake. Knowing that he'd taken his own life because of what she'd turned him into. 

Finally she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain pounded against the window of Minttu's study as she flicked through the pages of her father's old journal. It was a battered old leather notepad that was held together with a string binder. There were sheets of paper and old photos stuck inside and almost every page was filled with details and diary entries.

Her father had spent his life travelling around the world trying to find clues or a cure for what he called the curse on their family. His journal was filled with his findings and feelings. It dated from when he was a young boy right up until the date he was captured by hunters and killed. He had never found the reason that his bloodline was cursed with lycanthropy and Minttu had never fully studied the notes, preferring to live in solitude and stick to what he'd taught her about locking herself away for the full moon.

She turned the pages now, finding a list of known hunters. There were several names on the page, telephone numbers down the side and brief descriptions. Minttu knew that her father had tried to keep a step ahead of the men who would fight the supernatural and have no mercy on those they thought were deemed bad for the world. Unfortunately his last steps had led him into a trap and he'd been captured and killed, his body burned right before his daughter’s eyes.

She examined the list, wondering whether she should call one of the men. Could she do it? Would she be able to ask them to kill her for what she had done? Would she be able to stand there, waiting as they held a gun to her head? Waiting for death.

She stared at the page, the words and numbers blurring as she tried to decide what to do. She flicked a few pages further and found a diary entry that was dated just a few months after her birth. She had never read this far into his journal before and the word 'deal' caught her eye in the short paragraph under the date. She returned to the top of the page and read the entry.

_21st July 1987_

_I found the crossroads. I took the items (see list attached) and buried them as told. The demon came quickly. I asked for the deal. He said it was possible but he'd only grant my desire in exchange for my soul. He said I could have ten years and then he'd come to claim it. I refused. Could not leave Min without parents at the age of ten._

She turned the page and found a folded piece of tatty paper attached to the journal by a paper clip. She opened it, carefully flattening it on the desk as she read the items on the list. To make a deal at the crossroads you were required to bury a photograph of yourself, some graveyard dirt, a black cat bone and some yarrow. The bottom of the page had some numbers scribbled in her father’s handwriting. She recognised them as co-ordinates.

Minttu's mind flashed back to her childhood. There had been a black cat. It wasn't her pet but it often visited the house. She was probably around twelve years old when it disappeared completely. Her father had told her it had died, but had he tried to make another deal?

She flipped forward in the journal, looking for dates around 1999. There were a few entries that year, and one of them definitely explained the disappearing cat.

_2nd March 1999_

_I went to the crossroads. I made the deal. I had half an hour. Esme was confused but she told me that she watched over Min. That Min was strong and she would get by. I don't think I will find a cure within ten years but if Es can watch over Min, then hopefully when I'm gone I can too._

Minttu stared at the page, confused. Her father had made a deal to bring her mother back? He'd spoken to her mother. She looked at the date again, mentally calculating and realising it was just shy of ten years of his death. Had her father gone to the hunters to kill him because he didn't want the demon to take his soul?

She glanced around, wondering if her parents were watching her now. She didn't feel comforted by the fact that they might be looking over her, but the entry gave her an idea and she had no reason not to give it a try.

\-----

She sat on the wall opposite the cemetery well into the night. Minttu waited until the gates were locked and it was fully dark before easily climbing the wall with the strength of the wolf inside her.

She walked to the back of cemetery where she knew people buried their old pets. She'd always thought it was a weird thing to do, but now she was glad - she hadn't really liked the idea of finding somebody’s pet cat and killing it purely to summon a demon.

She placed her spade in the dirt, digging down a few feet before pulling a plastic bag from her pocket and depositing some dirt inside. She dug further, not stopping until her spade hit something solid. She scraped the dirt away, revealing a small wooden coffin with a metal plaque that read 'Sooty 1992 - 2005'. She hoped that Sooty, God rest his soul, was a black cat and that after ten years he was mostly decomposed.

She broke the lock to the coffin with the spade and slowly opened the lid to reveal decaying purple silk that was crawling with bugs. Laid on the silk was a perfectly preserved skeleton of a cat.

"Sorry Sooty," Minttu whispered as she pulled a leg free from the body and placed the bones in the bag with the dirt.

She closed the casket and began shovelling dirt back on top of the poor cat's remains, patting the mud down flat before leaving the cemetery and climbing into her car.

\----- 

The journey to the crossroads seemed to take forever, though it was actually quite close to Minttu's house. Her satnav guided her away from the main road and down a rough dirt track, reaching its destination at a point where the town’s lights were no longer visible.

She climbed out of the car, flicking on a torch and shining it around the area. Two dirt tracks met before her and in the centre of them was a patch of dirt that had clearly been dug up in the past. 

She opened the car boot and pulled out a shovel and a small wooden box which contained the items required to summon the demon. She took them to the center of the crossroads and began to dig where the earth had already been disturbed.

When the box was buried Minttu stepped back, staring at the ground as she leaned on the shovel, wiping her hands together to clean off the dirt. Nothing seemed to be happening. She had no idea if there was something else she was supposed to do to summon the demon - her father had not mentioned it if there was. 

A breeze whistled through the trees at the edge of the road and sent a shiver down Minttu's spine. 

"Hello."

The voice came from behind her and she spun around, surprised to find an old man stood in the headlights of her car. He had grey hair and a rugged face that looked as though it could be carved from rock. He wore glasses, but she could see that his eyes shined a light blue. He wore a plain white shirt and smart trousers over tennis shoes.

"Hi," Minttu said. "I.. I'm just waiting for a friend."

She smiled politely, hoping that the old man would continue on his way and leave her alone. Perhaps the demon would only appear if she was alone.

The old man grinned at her and his eyes turned black.

"Oh, I think you've found him," he said.

Minttu stepped towards the man. Her better judgement was telling her to get away, but now she looked closely the man seemed familiar. She couldn't put a name to the face, but she had definitely seen this man before.

"Do... Do I know you?" she asked, squinting into the light as the demon stepped towards her with an unamused look.

"Maybe, maybe not," he replied. "If you don't know, that's not my problem. Did you want to make a deal?"

"Yes," Minttu said before she could stop herself. "I want you to bring someone back from the dead."

"Like your father?" the demon said with a wicked smile that chilled Minttu's heart. "Oh he didn't want to do it at first, but I knew he'd be back eventually."

"I want more than just half an hour," Minttu said. "I want you to bring somebody back to live their proper life."

The demon nodded, grinning again.

"And you know the cost?" he asked.

"My soul," Minttu replied, sounding a lot more confident that she felt.

"Ten years and I will collect your soul," the demon snarled, his mouth twisting into a terrifying smile. "That's my favourite part of making deals."

Minttu gulped, trying to steady her breathing before she stated her demand.

"You're going to ask me to bring your father back, aren't you?" the demon said, beginning to walk in circles around Minttu.

She stopped, her breath almost choking her as the demon grinned wickedly, his black eyes glinting in the torch light. She hadn't even considered bringing her parents back. Should she? Should she bring her mother or father back and try to work out the cure rather than give Kimi his life back?

"No," she said finally. "Kimi Raikkonen."

She looked the demon in the eye, forcing herself to stare into the black depths. He nodded curtly and Minttu released a breath she didn't realise she was holding. The demon stepped towards her and all her impulses told her to step back.

"Did your father tell you how to seal the deal?" the demon said, grinning wickedly, "Oh, he enjoyed this bit."

The old man stepped closer, puckering his lips and reaching over to grab Minttu's shoulders and pull her into him. She tried to resist, but she knew deep down that she needed to make the deal, so she closed her eyes and held her breath, feeling the demon place his cracked and horrible lips against hers.

He stepped away quickly and Minttu glanced down at her shaking hands, gripping them together to try and calm herself whilst childishly wanting to spit and gag.

"What happens next?" she asked, looking up as she regained her composure.

The old man was gone.

She spun around, shining her torch around the crossroads and finding nothing. There wasn't even footprints in the dirt where he had walked.

Minttu stood in the center of the crossroads, tapping the shovel on the ground, wondering if she had to wait for the demon to bring Kimi back or whether he would be bought back where he died.

She realised how little she had thought her plan through and began to panic. Surely the demon would have _given_ her Kimi? But then, he was a demon, maybe he gave the man his life back but now he was buried alive or in a morgue somewhere waking up?

She raced back to her car, tears streaming down her face as she realised how stupid she'd been. Had she really given up a part of her life? Was it all just some stupid trick? Would she wake up tomorrow to find that Kimi had woken from the dead?

She turned the ignition on and spun the car around, leaving dust trailing behind her as she sped back to the main road and towards her home.

By the time she reached her house she was filled with anger. How could she have been so foolish? Why did she think asking a demon would be a good idea? She scrabbled with her front door key, trying to get it into the lock to enter the house, screaming in frustration when she kept missing.

When she finally opened the door, she threw the shovel down in the hallway and marched into her lounge, ready to throw herself onto the sofa and cry herself to sleep.

She stopped just in the nick of time. The sofa was already taken, a breathing lump hidden underneath a blanket spread across the seats.

Minttu cautiously plucked at one end of the blanket and pulled it down to reveal a face.

It seemed like the demon had stuck to his side of the bargain after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Minttu sat in the chair opposite the sofa, sipping a cup of tea that was almost cold. She had spent the night there, staring at the body on her sofa and willing him to wake up. She wanted to shake him, scream at him, shout until he woke up, but she resisted. She had no idea how a guy who had killed himself would react to waking up and finding himself alive again - let alone being stared at by a complete stranger.

The sun had risen slowly and light was streaming in through the lounge window. Minttu's clothes were still covered in dirt from the crossroads but she didn't want to leave the room to shower and change. She had to be here when he woke up. She had to explain in case he was confused and scared and tried to do something stupid. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she had to see him wake up and walk away - she had to know he was going to live again.

Kimi began to stir. His eyes were still shut, but his lips smacked together and he rolled over, pulling the blanket closer to his chin. Minttu rushed towards him, dropping the cup to the floor and ignoring the tea seeping into the rug. She grabbed the glass of water that she had placed beside the sofa and held it to Kimi's lips, slowly pouring a trickle into his mouth.

He opened his eyes quickly and stared upwards. His gaze seemed to bore right into Minttu's soul but she didn't blink, waiting for Kimi to react.

He jerked himself upright, looking around the room as his face filled with shock and horror. Minttu could see that he was about to freak out and placed her hand on the blanket where she thought his leg would be, hoping that would calm him a little.

"Where the fuck am I?" he said, snapping his head around to stare at her. "What is happening? Who are you?"

He swung his legs out from under the covering and made to stand, only realising at the last moment that he was naked, catching the blanket and holding it over himself as he sat back down.

Minttu handed him the glass of water, smiling nervously as he took it from her and gulped it down in one go. He gave her the empty glass back and looked down at his chest. They both noticed the gruesome red mark at the same time - the mark that showed where Kimi's knife had plunged into his heart a few days before.

"Please," Minttu said quickly, before Kimi could panic again, "let me get you clothes and then I promise I'll explain everything."

Kimi looked at her, eventually nodding curtly and sitting back on the sofa, examining his arms as though he'd never seen them before.

Minttu slipped out of the room and up the stairs, breathing deeply as she tried to calm her nerves. She sat on the top step, her head in her hands as she tried to process what was happening and think of how to explain everything - she had no idea how Kimi had coped with finding out he was a werewolf, would he just accept the abnormal or would this freak him out even more?

She took a deep breath and counted to ten while she released it slowly, forcing herself to stand and look in the spare bedroom for clothes of her father's that she'd never quite been able to take to the charity store in the local town. She pulled out a shirt and a pair of jeans, rummaging in a drawer to find a belt and some underwear. It felt strange, seeing her father's clothes again, but she could hardly expect Kimi to sit naked on her sofa while she told him what had happened.

When she returned to the lounge, Kimi was looking at photographs on the mantelpiece, the blanket wrapped around his waist as he peered at one of her father that was taken a few months before he died.

"That's my father," she said quietly, as Kimi turned around. "These are his clothes. I'll... I'll make some tea while you get dressed."

Minttu walked into the kitchen, flicking the switch on the kettle and waiting for the water to boil. She could hear Kimi changing in the lounge and had to stop herself from peaking through the crack in the door frame. 

When she returned to the lounge she was shocked by how alike Kimi and her father looked now he was wearing his clothing. She handed him a mug of steaming tea and sat on the sofa, gesturing for him to sit beside him.

"I... I think it's best if I start from the beginning," she said, her hand shaking a little. "It's quite a long story."

Kimi nodded for her to continue and she placed her mug on the coffee table.

"You... You knew... What you were?" she began, realising she'd not actually asked if Kimi remembered anything from before his death. "You killed yourself because of it... Am I right?"

Kimi nodded, looking at his hands before running his fingers across the spot on his chest where he had once plunged a knife.

"Well... I... I think it's all my fault," she continued.

Tears began to fill her eyes but she forced them back, determined to tell the story before she let her emotions get the better of her.

"My father... He thought the family was cursed. Everyone who was of direct bloodline to my father turns into a werewolf during the full moon. I inherited it myself when I was born. I've been changing every moon cycle for the whole of my life and... when I reached my teenage years my father showed me that I could change voluntarily, too."

She took a deep breath. She'd never really spoken to anybody about this before and it seemed strange to be telling somebody.

"My father was captured when I was in my early twenties and killed. He taught me a lot though. How to deal with what I am. How to lock myself away and how to sense when I was going to transform. He taught me how to take control if I needed to."

She paused again, glancing at Kimi to see whether he was taking everything in. His face showed confusion, but he was nodding and she hoped he was remembering times when he'd realised he was about transform.

"My father spent his life trying to find a cure or a way to break the curse, but he never managed it. When he died, I decided to distance myself from the world. I stayed in the family house and stopped going out in public. I kept in touch with a few friends but rarely saw them."

She started speaking faster and faster, knowing that the next part of the story was the hardest part. Would he hate her? She wouldn't blame him if he smashed the mug in his hand and stabbed her with it - not that it would make a difference, she'd survive.

"It was a night before my friends were due to come over when I screwed up for the first time," she continued, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I lost track of time and didn't lock myself away quickly enough before the full moon. I transformed before I had chance to sedate myself. I lost control. I panicked and the wolf took over completely and... and..."

She broke down, tears flowing from her eyes and trying to stop them only made them flow harder.

Kimi leaned forward, resting an arm on Minttu's back as he placed his untouched tea on the coffee table.

"And you bit me," he finished for her, his voice void of emotion.

Minttu nodded, not daring to look up, waiting for him to attack her or shout at her or anything. She sensed him lean back on the sofa and heard him release a long breath, his arm still rubbing her back comfortingly.

She forced herself to look at him. She owed him that at least.

"I'm so sorry. I woke up the next day and didn't remember what had happened. I had flashbacks but there were no reports on the news so I thought maybe it was just a horrible dream," she said. "And then I saw the news yesterday. Saw that you'd killed yourself. Saw your picture and it all flooded back. I'm so sorry."

Kimi was pensive, staring at the wall opposite him with a furrowed brow. Minttu didn't disturb his thoughts, waiting for him to react to her words.

"Did you save me? It doesn't explain why I'm waking up here when I know that I killed myself," Kimi asked. "And if it was on the news supposedly I'm... People saw me die?"

Minttu nodded in response to Kimi’s last question.

"I didn't save you though," she replied. "I... I made a deal. To bring you back. I knew it was possible because my father had done it. I needed to right my wrong. I made a deal for your life." 

Kimi was silent again and Minttu sobbed quietly into her hands. He leaned forward, running his hands through his hair as he tried to process what she had told him.

"I understand if you want to leave," she said quietly. "I can give you money for a taxi or a bus. You can take my car if you want."

Kimi breathed out, pursing his lips and letting the air flow through loudly.

"If everybody thinks I'm dead I can hardly just waltz back into my old life," he said, leaning back on the sofa again and shaking his head in disbelief. "What can I do? Where can I go?"

Minttu hadn't thought about that. How could Kimi just come back and live his life when so many people witnessed his death? How could she have not realised that? Would he _want_ to live his life if he couldn't race or live as he had in the past?

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again, silent tears trickling down her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "You're... You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to... to figure it out."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this might be difficult to read and there are mentions of Jules. i wrote this the week of his funeral and i hope that helped put some of the emotions in it properly...

Sebastian stood outside the church as Kimi's family climbed into the car and drove away towards the wake. The rest of the Ferrari family were stood beside him and Maurizio placed a hand on his driver’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Sebastian barely felt it, unable to take his eyes away from the spot in the graveyard where he had just buried his best friend.

There were many fans surrounding the church and as Sebastian finally looked up he saw a sea of red that was blurred behind his tears. That morning he had been just the other side of town, burying his other friend, Heikki - a quiet service with just family and friends. To bury Kimi on the same day in completely different circumstances seemed surreal.

The two Nico's and Fernando pushed through the crowds of Ferrari team members, approaching Sebastian. Hulk wrapped Sebastian in a hug and Rosberg and Fernando offered their condolences to Maurizio, unsure how much he knew about what had really happened.

"How are you doing?" Hulk asked, releasing Sebastian and placing his arms on his fellow German's shoulders.

Sebastian was silent for a few moments, seemingly staring through Nico while he waited for an answer.

"I just keep seeing it all in my head," Sebastian whispered. "The knife, the crash, the fire. I keep hearing his voice the night before. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Tears streamed down his face and Hulk positioned himself so that he was shielded from the press and fans. Rosberg and Fernando joined them, both looking worriedly at Sebastian.

"Seb," Fernando said, resting an arm on the German's shoulder, "I know this is hard, but maybe it is for the best. We didn't know how to overcome what he had turned into. And looked at what happened... At least he cannot hurt anybody else now and wherever he is, he will be free of that curse."

Sebastian stared at Fernando's feet, his hands balling into fists as the Spaniard spoke. He hadn't been there that night. He hadn't woken up to find Kimi covered in blood and begging for help. Kimi had _wanted_ Sebastian to kill him. He'd tried to persuade him that there would be another way, but he'd not even given Sebastian the chance to try and find one.

"Just SHUT UP," he shouted, anger bursting out of him and making people around him jump. "SHUT UP AND FUCK OFF. I could have helped him. He didn't give me a chance. I could..."

Sebastian fell to the floor, tears streaming from his face as he landed on his hands and knees. Fernando ducked down beside him and tried to help him back to his feet, but Sebastian shrugged him off.

He panted for breath, his shirt feeling as though it was growing tighter and tighter, trying to choke him. He struggled to unbutton the collar, pulling his tie off and gasping for air. The Nico's and Fernando all watched him, wondering what they could do to help. They hadn't attended Heikki's funeral, none of them really knowing the guy, but they all wished they'd been there for Sebastian now.

An arm touched Sebastian's back, another body bending down beside him as he wept loudly on the floor.

"Sebastian," the voice said, a French accent making the name sound strange. "Come back inside the church. Please, everyone can see. You don't want this."

Sebastian looked up at Jean-Eric through red and puffy eyes. The Frenchman had a worried expression and was tugging gently at the German's arm to try and get him to respond. Sebastian was so shocked to see the Ferrari test driver by his side that he allowed the younger man to pull him to his feet and guide him back into the church.

Jean-Eric sat Sebastian in one of the pews at the back of the church and disappeared to find him a glass of water. Sebastian stared up at the large stained-glass window which depicted Christ on the cross. He'd never really been a believer until Nico had rescued them all from the Vengeance Demons of Ayrton and Roland just over a year before. He'd converted to an angel, just long enough to send the demons back to life after death. He'd rarely spoken about it, but that had been enough to convince Sebastian that maybe God did exist.

He scowled at the window. If God did exist how could he let Kimi get bitten and turned into a werewolf? And more so, how could he let Kimi give up and kill himself? Why did he have to sacrifice Heikki to show Kimi the truth?

Tears still flowed silently down Sebastian’s cheeks when Jean-Eric reappeared. Fernando and the two Nico's sat a few rows in front, quietly whispering to one another as the priest tidied the church and removed service sheets from the pews near the front.

For a few minutes Jean-Eric sat quietly beside Sebastian, staring at the window with a confused expression on his face. He wasn't really sure what to say to the German, but he knew how he felt - when they had lost Jules he'd felt like he'd never be able to walk through the paddock and smile again, but time had changed that, now he walked through the paddock smiling _for_ Jules.

"I know how you feel," Jean-Eric said, finally. "I've been in this situation too, remember. Losing a close friend."

"You don't know what this is like," Sebastian said, immediately dismissing Jean-Eric's sympathy.

"Maybe not exactly," Jean-Eric continued, determined to try and break through the wall Sebastian had placed around him, "but it was similar. It still hurt and I still had to get through it and keep going."

He paused, glancing at the German who wiped his eyes on the sleeves of his shirt.

"I was angry too. And it hurt so much I thought I'd never get through it," Jean-Eric continued. "It was hard, but you have to push through it. Kimi and Heikki wouldn't want you to be angry and upset. They'd want you to continue enjoying your life, because theirs were cut tragically short."

Sebastian released a long breath, reaching up to clutch the necklace he had made from the tooth he'd found in the ashes of Kimi's car. He wore it around his neck day and night, a constant reminder of what had happened. He rubbed his fingers over the surface, now ridged from the heat of the fire - maybe he _should_ see it as a reminder to live for Kimi and not of what had happened. Maybe Jean-Eric was right.

He nodded, looking up at the French driver beside him and smiling weakly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You're right. I.. I..."

 _Blame myself_ , he wanted to say. He wanted to scream it through the church. He wanted to smash everything up and shout and yell and cry and punch things.

But Heikki's voice sounded in his head. He knew if the Finn was there, he'd be saying those words again, making him focus on the future and not the past.

_"It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have."_

It was a Drew Barrymore quote that his personal trainer had given him towards the end of his last season with Red Bull. He'd lost the championship, the first time in five years, and he'd been heartbroken but Heikki had made him get back out there and find something to keep him going - that had been his move to Ferrari.

"Will you be driving for the rest of the season?" Sebastian asked, turning to Jean-Eric who seemed shocked by the sudden change in topic.

The Frenchman looked embarrassed as he replied.

"Maurizio has asked me to," he said, biting his lip before he continued. "I said I wanted to check if you were happy with that first. I didn't want to say yes if you would prefer somebody else..."

Jean-Eric stared at Sebastian and was surprised to see the German's face break into a smile.

"I think you would make a great team mate," Sebastian said, holding out his hand and shaking Jean-Eric's firmly. "Forza Ferrari!"

"Forza Heikki, Jules e Kimi," Jean-Eric replied, grabbed Sebastian in a hug, the both of them feeling a huge weight lift from their shoulders.


	5. Chapter 5

_Today the motorsport world said goodbye to two of its own._ The news report began and Minttu couldn't help but glance up at the TV. The footage was showing a small funeral at a village church. There didn't appear to be many people attending and she began to wonder if perhaps Kimi wasn't as popular as she'd first thought.

_Heikki Huovinen, personal trainer to racing driver Sebastian Vettel, was brutally murdered in what looked like an animal attack just a few hours before Kimi Raikkonen seemingly killed himself at the start of the Grand Prix. It is unknown if the two deaths were related._

Minttu stared at the TV. The footage changed and this time it was an aerial shot of a much larger funeral. There were thousands of people lining the streets outside a cathedral, flags waving. The footage showed fans in Ferrari t-shirts in floods of tears and many guests in the graveyard as the casket was lowered into the ground.

The footage flicked to the family making a statement to the crowds that had gathered. Minttu looked at all of the faces, seeing how heartbroken they were and knowing that it was all her fault. She paused when she reached the face of the man at the end of the row. 

Her heart skipped a beat and her jaw dropped. It was him. It was the demon.

"Turn it off."

Minttu jumped as Kimi spoke, drawing her attention away from the footage. He was stood in the doorway, his eyes glaring at the television as though he couldn't look away. She quickly grabbed the TV remote, glancing back at the TV in hope of spotting the demon again, maybe getting a name, but the story had moved on and so she pressed the standby button.

Kimi crossed the room and sat on the sofa beside Minttu. She wasn't sure whether she should comfort him or apologise - she hadn't realised that the funerals would take place so soon. She wondered if Kimi would have wanted to attend them.

"He didn't deserve to die," Kimi said quietly, distracting Minttu from her thoughts. "I... I don't even remember it. He deserved the huge funeral and the fans, not me."

"That's not true," Minttu started, resting a hand on Kimi's arm. "Don't say that."

Kimi shrugged her off, getting to his feet angrily and standing across the room from her.

"It is," he growled. "I killed him. He was my best friend’s personal trainer. I saw how devastated he was. I bet he blames me. I bet he's glad I'm gone."

Minttu opened and closed her mouth, not sure what to say. She realised now that she barely knew the man. She was allowing him to live in her home - she'd taken pity on him - but in truth she had no idea who he was. 

"Why were there so many fans there?" he growled, stomping his feet and punching the wall. "Fuck them. Why hasn't anyone told the truth? Why did you bring me back? I'm a monster."

He glared at Minttu and she saw tears forming in his eyes. She had questioned whether he wanted to be back. She'd done it for her own conscience really, not thinking about the consequences of Kimi having died so publicly. Maybe she'd made the wrong choice.

"You're not a monster," she said quietly, remembering the times her father had said the same when she'd turned back to human after teenage transformations - she'd only ever attacked animals but that had been bad enough for someone so young. "I can help you."

Kimi snorted, turning his back on Minttu and leaning his forehead against his arms that were pressed onto the wall.

"Help me?" he said, his voice muffled by his t-shirt. "You're the reason I'm in this mess."

Minttu recoiled, tears fell from her eyes as he said the words she'd been waiting to hear. It was true. She didn't blame him for saying it. 

"I... I," she started, choking on sobs, "I should never have brought you back, I'm sorry."

Kimi turned around, watching Minttu as she wept into her hands. He glanced around the room, looking at the photos and noticing how similar they were. Even the ones on the mantle piece were the same - Minttu and her father. There was nobody else. She'd mentioned friends but there were no photos of them here.

He moved to the sofa, sitting softly beside her and waiting until she had calmed down a little.

"I shouldn't have said that," he said, staring at the wall ahead of him. "I know that once the wolf takes over you can't control it. But... Why ... Why didn't you kill me? Your wolf? Why... Why did you let me live?"

Minttu took a deep breath, looking at her hands as she replied, idly picking skin from around her nails.

"I... Sometimes I can take control," she said softly. "I realised what I was doing and forced myself to act. As soon as I gained control from the wolf I ran. I ... I didn't know if you were dead or not. I only remembered when I saw the news... That you'd killed yourself."

Kimi sat in silence for a few moments. He watched as Minttu picked at her fingers, drawing blood. She hurriedly stuffed her finger in her mouth, sucking at it.

"How do you gain control?" he asked.

"It's... difficult," she replied. "I.. I can easily transform voluntarily. But taking control on a full moon takes a lot of effort. I've never fully managed it before. The time I... attacked you... That was the first."

"How do you voluntarily transform?" Kimi said, his interest piquing.

"It's quite difficult," she replied. "You... Have to let the wolf in. It's always there, at the back of your mind. You just have to open up and allow it through. But you have to stop it before it takes full control. That's the hard part. I could show you..."

She watched as Kimi thought for a few moments, before he nodded and turned to face her. 

Minttu slid from the sofa, sitting herself on the rug that spread across the room. She closed her eyes and gripped her hands into fists, concentrating on emptying her mind and searching for the wolf that was now so familiar to her.

It happened without her really noticing. It didn't hurt when she transformed, although there was a lot of noise and bones snapping and reshaping.

When she opened her eyes, everything was black and white but the room seemed alive. She could see the end of her snout and feel her tongue hanging between her teeth, through the gap where one was missing.

"Wow."

Her ear pricked and she turned her head. Kimi was sat on the sofa, staring in awe. He reached forward and her first instinct was to recoil, stepping backwards and whimpering slightly, but Kimi leaned further and rubbed his fingers between her ears, grinning.

"Good doggy," he said, tickling under her chin.

She growled at him. _Doggy?_ she thought to herself.

Kimi jumped back, shock on his face. Minttu cocked her head to one side. If she was human she'd have been raising an eyebrow.

Kimi flushed - though through the wolf's eyes Minttu only saw it as his skin growing darker.

"Sorry," he said. "Shit. That's embarrassing. You... have soft fur."

Minttu laughed and the wolf barked happily, flopping down on the floor and wagging its tail.

"Are... Are you laughing at me?" Kimi said, trying to stop himself imagining Minttu as the wolf rolled over on its belly.

The wolf nodded and Kimi grinned back at it.

"OK you can change back now," he said, "but you have to promise to teach me how to do that."

Minttu made the wolf nod again and then padded over to her clothing, picking it up in her mouth and hurrying out of the room.

Kimi almost followed her but then remembered the amount of times he had awoken naked after he transformed back to a human. Part of him was tempted to follow regardless but he waited in the lounge. Perhaps he would hang around as long as Minttu would put up with him. If he could learn to transform, perhaps that would help him gain control of the wolf on full moons.


	6. Chapter 6

Sebastian sat at the back of the Ferrari garage, trying to keep out of sight of photographers and the reporters that wanted to talk with him. The team around him was subdued, but _everybody_ seemed to want to pester them and nobody wanted to be the one to talk.

Maurizio had done a quick press release at the beginning of testing earlier in the morning, but otherwise the team wanted to be left alone. He'd asked for the media's cooperation, but obviously they hadn't realised he meant for them to stop filming Sebastian's every move and trying to get quotes from him.

Jean-Eric sat in the opposite garage and Sebastian could sense the Frenchman's gaze upon him. It felt strange, knowing that it would usually be Kimi listening to his music in the garage beside his. It was the first race Sebastian had attended for some years that Kimi wasn't at, and knowing that he'd never be back made Sebastian's stomach drop.

Free Practice Two was due to start in just over five minutes and he knew he should be pulling his race overalls on, donning his helmet and starting to prepare, but his heart wasn't in it. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to get into the car and concentrate enough to drive it around the track.

"Come on, Seb," Britta called, geeing up her driver as the engineers began to crowd around the car, ready to attach the wheels and let Sebastian race.

Sebastian pushed himself to a standing position and zipped his race suit shut, automatically making himself race-ready without really even thinking about it. He was in the car, the steering wheel ready and the wheel covers half unzipped before he realised what he was doing.

Jean-Eric drove out before him and he waited a couple of seconds before heading out for his installation lap, taking a deep breath and trying to focus himself.

\-----

Sebastian climbed out of the car at the end of FP2 feeling angry with himself. He'd driven badly the whole session and couldn't set a time that was worth thinking about. Looking at the timing board in the garage, he saw that Jean-Eric's times were all much faster than his, and that added to his frustration.

He changed out of his race gear and into jeans and a team t-shirt before heading out into the paddock, hoping that he could avoid the TV crews that were filming.

"Sebastian!"

He turned around to find the two Nico's and Fernando chasing after him. They all looked concerned. 

"What happened?" Rosberg asked, concerned although slightly relieved he'd not had much competition from the Ferrari driver. "Your times? Are you OK?"

Sebastian shrugged. He couldn't explain it. He _wanted_ to get back in the car and drive and win races like he knew he could, but something at the back of his mind stopped him every time he had tried to accelerate and the lack of concentration kept causing him mistakes.

"Just distracted, I think," he replied, trying to smile at his friends. "I'll be back for qualifying, don't worry."

Sebastian excused himself, sliding through the doors of the van that served as the Ferrari team’s restroom and found himself face to face with Bernie.

"Sebastian?" he said, frowning at the German driver. "What the hell was that?"

Sebastian gaped at Bernie. Was he really questioning why he was finding it so hard to drive just a couple of weeks after two of his best friends had died?

"I tried..." Sebastian started, but Bernie cut him off.

"Try harder," he snapped. "You're a big factor in F1. We need you on top form. The fans love you and if you're driving like that nobody will be interested. Buck up. I want you on the front of the grid after qualifying. You're making the sport look ridiculous. Everyone's watching, Sebastian. Everyone."

"Get out."

Sebastian had been opening and closing his mouth, trying to form some sort of reply, but the Italian accent snapped through the noise of the room. Even Bernie jumped.

"Maurizio," Bernie sneered. "Really, that's not very polite."

"I don't care," Marurizio replied. "Get out."

"You know, if you say that again I could just cut all of your funding," Bernie said, grinning wickedly at the Ferrari Principal.

"And then you can blame yourself for ruining the sport instead of Sebastian," Maurizio replied, gripping the German's shoulder and guiding him away from the Formula 1 Boss. "Get. Out."

\-----

Kimi nibbled on the sandwich that Minttu had made him, watching the cars racing around the track on the TV screen before him. It had been a long time since he'd watched a race live, rather than being involved himself and he was surprised by how relaxed he felt.

When he'd realised it was a race weekend, he'd been unsure whether he wanted to watch, but after FP1 had finished and he saw how badly Sebastian had driven, he wanted to see if his old team mate improved for the second practice. He wasn't doing much better now and the commentary team were picking up on every mistake that he made.

As the practice drew to a close and the cameras showed Sebastian angrily climbing out of the car and stalking off, Kimi realised that it was probably his fault that his teammate was struggling.

He turned the TV off, not wanting to see interviews or any of the filler pieces that the channel would show after the practice session. He'd turned off briefly earlier when there had been a long memorial section for himself followed by a short section about Heikki and the sound of the TV pinging to silence made him remember that.

Minttu was eating a jacket potato when Kimi spoke, placing his own plate on the coffee table, the sandwich only partially eaten.

"Could I bring Heikki back?" he asked. "The same way you brought me back?"

Minttu paused, a fork full of potato halfway to her mouth, trying to think of an excuse or a way to change the subject without seeming suspicious.

"I'm.. not sure," said said. "And anyway, do you think he would want to come back?"

"That's irrelevant," Kimi replied. "It was my fault he died. If I can bring him back I will."

Minttu didn't reply. She avoided Kimi's gaze and began to push food around her plate, her appetite suddenly vanished.

"What do you have to do?" Kimi pressed. "Can you at least tell me how I can find out?"

Minttu remained silent. It wasn't that she regretted bringing Kimi back, but she'd really not thought it through properly and he had nowhere to go, being so famous. She couldn't willingly let Kimi do that to another person, and she certainly wasn't going to allow him to shorten his life to do so. She hadn't told him that she had less than ten years until the demon came to collect her soul and if she could keep it a secret until he left, then she would.

"At least give me a hint?" Kimi said, trying not to sound angry.

"I... don't think it's a good idea," Minttu finally replied. "I think you should think about it more first. Are you really happy now? After what I did? You can't live the same life you used to, so do you really want to be back here?"

Kimi sat quietly for a few moment, mulling over Minttu's words. It wasn't that he'd _rather_ be dead, but she had a point. He couldn't walk back into the life he once had. He'd never race again, that was for sure. He couldn't even go back to his home and collect his things for fear that a neighbour would see him. He could allow Minttu to go, but what if she was caught and arrested? Maybe he'd have to go back as the wolf and gather some things.

He gave a crooked smile, imaging the neighbours seeing a giant wolf leave his apartment with a rucksack on its back, full of his clothing and belongings. He had money stashed away in the house too - he never trusted the banks, so he kept it all in various hidden holes in his home - he'd have to go back at some point.

"Well can you at least try to teach me how to become the wolf voluntarily?" he asked, glancing across at Minttu. "I have some things I need to do, and being the wolf might make that a little easier."


	7. Chapter 7

The cage door was closed and locked and Kimi stood inside, chained to the walls as Minttu had done to herself every full moon. Minttu, on the outside holding the key to the lock, smiled nervously as Kimi took a deep breath and tried to relax himself. He'd been trying to blank his mind for some time now, just enough so that the wolf could creep in, but so far he hadn't even felt the tiniest rise from his inner demon.

"It's not working," he groaned, his shoulders slumping as he gave in again.

"It takes time, Kimi," Minttu replied. "It took me months to work it out. Keep trying. You're supposed to be relaxing, not worrying about it working straight away."

Kimi closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, standing straight and lifting his chin so his face turned upwards.

"Concentrate on something you enjoy that you find relaxing," she suggested. "Like a nice hot bubble bath after a race, or whatever you would do to unwind."

Kimi imagined a large swimming pool outside a posh hotel. It was one he had used every race in Malaysia and it had soon become one of his favourite ways to calm down after a long, hot race. The pool was cool and clear and it was nearly always empty. The surrounding area was quiet and he'd always enjoyed swimming up and down, lost in his thoughts after the team debrief.

Something was niggling in the back of his mind, like someone was watching him. He opened his eyes to find Minttu staring at him with a bemused expression.

"What?" he said, the imaginary calm vanishing with the word.

"Were you imagining having sex?" she asked. "Because you were breathing like it."

Kimi felt his cheeks turn red and his gaze dropped to the ground.

"I was swimming," he said, jumping slightly when Minttu burst into laughter, the noise spitting through her lips.

"OK, OK," she said, trying to stop her giggles. "Do that again. Feel for something within the calm that doesn't quite seem right and reach out for it."

Kimi nodded curtly. Closing his eyes and concentrating on the pool again, trying to stop himself breathing so heavily as he swam, waiting for the feeling that Minttu described. 

The niggling was back. He couldn't tell where in his mind, or in the scene he was imagining, that it was coming from but he tried to broaden his senses, envisaging himself inviting whatever it was to join him.

He could sense something moving, edging into his consciousness. It seemed to be closing in on him faster and faster, running at him. It was close now and before he could stop himself he opened his eyes.

His heart rate was pounding and he dropped to his knees, his body unable to support his weight. There was sweat dripping from his forehead and he was panting hard.

"What happened?" he gasped, kneeling back on his heels as he rubbed his forehead.

"I think you were about to let the wolf in but stopped yourself," Minttu said, bending down and curling her fingers against the cage bars as she watched the former racing driver catch his breath. "Try again, but this time don't stop yourself."

Kimi was silent for a few moments, staring at the ground before him before he finally looked up at Minttu.

"What if I can't control it? What if I change and I hurt you."

"That's what the chains are for," Minttu smiled, kindly. "And if it does take control, you will change back in your sleep."

Minttu hadn't told him that she had a gun loaded with sedative tucked into the back of her jeans in the case of Kimi changing and not being able to control the wolf. She would be able to convert herself, once Kimi mastered it and should he have control, she should be able to connect with him.

"I will know if you're in control," Minttu explained. "Once you change, I will change too and I should be able to feel a connection with you. I should be able to send you my thoughts and read your own. If I can't do that, I will know that the wolf has control of you. It will be fine, I promise."

Kimi forced a smile and climbed back to his feet, closing his eyes to take himself back to that place. All he need to do was let the wolf in. Minttu seemed confident in him and she didn't seem worried or scared about something going wrong. He was sure she was more experienced with this, having gone through it herself. He should trust her.

The pool and the niggling feeling appeared more quickly this time and Kimi found himself opening up to the sensation easily. The feeling of something running towards him happened again and this time he tried not to panic, only truly giving in when he felt his skin crawling with fur.

He tried to grin, but his face shape changed and soon after that his mind snapped blank and the wolf took control.

Minttu started her transformation the moment that Kimi started to crawl with fur. She sat on her hind legs, panting as she watched Kimi complete the change and began to reach out her mind, trying to connect with him. She could find nothing and slowly stepped backwards from the cage as the wolf that Kimi had turned into began to growl and pull at the chains around its legs.

She transformed back to her human self quickly, not worrying about her nakedness as the wolf snarled and bared its teeth at her. The wolf wasn't Kimi and she knew that it wouldn't care whether she was clothed or not. She snatched her jeans from the floor, almost tearing the dart gun from her pocket and firing it quickly at Kimi's hind leg.

The sedative took effect immediately and Minttu began to dress, one eye on the wolf whose eyes grew so heavy they closed before its body had hit the ground. 

Careful not to wake the wolf, Minttu unlocked the cage door and stepped inside, dragging the large form into a more comfortable resting position and covering it with a blanket so that when it transformed back to the Finnish driver, he wouldn't wake up cold and naked.

Making sure to lock the cage door just in case, Minttu left the room and went to make herself some lunch. The process would be long and painful but at least it gave her something to do and some meaning for living.

\-----

Minttu whistled as she carried a tray of cereal and toast into the room where Kimi slept. He had transformed back to his human self during the night and was snoring lightly as she placed the tray on the table and made a show of loudly clanking the lock against the bars as she opened the cage door.

Kimi roused slowly, but once he realised it was morning, he quickly changed back into his jeans and t-shirt and ate the provided breakfast quickly.

"I think you should take a break today," Minttu started. "Maybe we could..."

"No, I was nearly there," Kimi replied, sliding the empty plates back across the table and entering the cage again. "I want to try again."

He shut the cage door and locked the cage behind him, shackling himself to the walls with the chains and standing to concentrate on his relaxing pool again. 

This time he was more prepared when he felt the wolf rushing towards him. He was inviting but was ready with a mental barrier - ready to prevent the wolf from taking over fully again. He was determined not to need tranquilizing again. Losing another day because he had to sleep the wolf off was not part of Kimi's plan.

He could sense his heart pounding as the feeling grew closer. So close he could almost feel it. 

He slammed a barrier in his mind down just as he felt a prickling on his arms. He looked down and saw that he was transforming. His arms were covered with fur and his legs were taking the shape of a wolf’s. A long, furry nose grew from his face and his eyes suddenly lost the ability to see colour, though everything seemed ten times more clear.

The smell of breakfast was strong in the air, along with the scent of Minttu's shampoo and deodorant. He tried to smile again, but his wolf-mouth would not allow it.

"Kimi?"

The voice seemed to form in his mind. It was Minttu's voice, but he definitely hadn't heard it through his own ears.

"Kimi? Think your response," Minttu sent.

"Hello?" Kimi thought, immediately thinking it was a stupid thing to say.

Minttu sent laughter back, and Kimi realised she had heard his embarrassment.

"You did it," she laughed. "I'm impressed."

Kimi watched as Minttu, in wolf form, paced across the room.

"Turn away," she sent, looking deep into wolf Kimi's eyes.

He obeyed, turning to stare at the wall. His ears pricked as her heard her unlock the cage and he sensed her pick up a blanket behind him. She appeared in human form before him and unlocked the chains, grinning, before she walked out of the room.

When she reappeared she was in wolf form again.

"So what do you want to do?" she sent, her paw tapping lightly across the concrete floor.

Kimi sent back a mental image of the two wolves racing freely through the fields.

"I want to go for a run."


	8. Chapter 8

It had grown dark by the time Minttu finally agreed that Kimi was adept at changing and keeping control when he transformed voluntarily. After the first mishap in the cage, Kimi had managed to prevent the wolf taking over at every attempt and Minttu was impressed - it had taken her months to finally be in control every time she changed. 

"You have the dart gun?" Kimi asked, closing the front door behind him and dropping his rucksack to the ground.

Minttu nodded. The plan was that Minttu would transform first, the dart gun by her side, and wait to check that she could communicate with Kimi before they set off. Once Kimi had control, the wolf couldn't take over and they'd be safe to go for a run.

Two rucksacks lay on the floor beside them, a tshirt and pair of trousers in each in case they decided to return to human form and needed clothing. Minttu had no intention of changing back in public, but _she_ had done this to Kimi so if he wanted to, she felt like she would have to appease him.

"Ready?" she asked, glancing across at Kimi until he nodded.

His face was already filled with concentration, and she focussed on him as she transformed, growling when the change was complete to signal that she was ready.

Kimi changed easily and Minttu felt the link connect a few moments before he sent ' _it's me_ ' across the bond. If Minttu had not had a muzzle and snout she would have grinned widely.

' _Follow me_ ' Kimi sent to her, picking the rucksack up in his jaw and padding to the end of her driveway before waiting for her to catch up, ' _There is somewhere I want to show you._ '

Kimi raced across the fields that led away from Minttu's house. With his enhanced eye-sight - courtesy of the wolf - he could see the lights from the town where he had lived, shining in the distance several miles off.

The scent of the grass and crops that spread away in all directions overwhelmed his nose, but he could still pick out the scent of rabbits away to the east and fish in the river to the west. His ears pricked as he heard insects and night life buzzing around him - sounds he would never have noticed in human form.

' _It's magical isn't it?_ ' Minttu sent to him as she ran along side him, matching his every stride, ' _The wolf isn't all bad._ '.

Kimi's mouth parted wider, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he pushed harder, his paws thundering on the ground. He barely felt tired and his muscles seemed as though they could run for hours more, but the town was nearing now and he forced himself to focus, trying to think of the best way through to where he wanted to go - the best way of avoiding two wolfs being seen.

' _This way_ ' he sent to Minttu, suddenly changing directions and running along a hedge that led to the riverbank.

He launched himself from the edge and into the river, quickly paddling his legs to keep afloat whilst he waited for Minttu to follow. The river ran back to the street where his home was - a street that was usually quiet. 

When they arrived at the road, he paddled across to bank, shaking himself dry and laughing to himself at the thought of doing that in human form. His rucksack, and presumably the clothing inside, were dripping wet from their dip in the river but he was home now. There were plenty of clothes inside the house and he was sure nobody would have been over to clear it out yet.

Kimi quickly changed back to human form, covering himself with his hand as he found the spare key underneath the rock in the back garden and quickly unlocked the door. Minttu stayed in wolf form, deliberately avoiding looking at Kimi, but following him into the kitchen and glancing around.

"There's some clothes in the wash basket if you want to change," Kimi said, heading for the door that led to the staircase, "I'll go upstairs and get changed up there."

Minttu padded around the lower floor after Kimi disappeared. She had no intention of changing back to human form and wearing any of Kimi's clothing. They wouldn't be here long - Kimi said he just wanted to get clothing and money and then go back to her home, out of the way of prying eyes.

She could hear Kimi upstairs, opening drawers and talking to himself as he shoved as much as he could into the damp rucksack. The trip home would be more difficult with filled bags - particularly if the only option was to swim down the river - but at least Kimi would have some of his own things.

After sometime had passed and Minttu had grown bored of nosing around the downstairs areas of the house, she realised that the noises upstairs had grown quiet. She sniffed the air, but could only catch Kimi's scent and so cautiously headed up the staircase and into the master bedroom.

Kimi was fast asleep on the bed, snoring loudly with a t-shirt in his hand, the rucksack on the floor beside the bed clearly having feel from his grip. Minttu rolled her eyes and growled her disapproval, but didn't have to the heart to wake Kimi up. 

She used her snout to move some of the clothing that had been scattered across the floor and settled down, tucking her tail tightly around her body as she rested her snout on her front paws, eventually succumbing to the sound of Kimi's breathing and falling asleep.

\-----

Minttu was awoken by the strange feeling that somebody was watching her. When she opened her eyes she found herself naked in a strange bed, warm and comfortable between soft sheets. She looked up and found Kimi smiling at her from the opposite side of the mattress.

"You were asleep on the floor," he said, "It looked uncomfortable."

Memories of the night before came flooding back to her and she remembered curling up in wolf form. She flushed furiously, realising that Kimi must have found her naked in human form on the floor and moved her into the bed.

"Thank you," she said quietly, pulling the sheets closer around her skin.

Kimi smiled, not moving his eyes from Minttu's face as she looked back at him, confused as to what to do next. 

"I... I should probably change back," she said, holding the sheet to her chest as she pushed herself upright, "We should get going. It's daylight."

"Relax," Kimi said, reaching out his hand and pulling Minttu back down onto the bed, "We can wait here until evening and go back in the dark again."

Minttu lay her head on the pillow and puffed out an annoyed sigh. She hadn't exactly had any plans for the day, but she didn't really want to spend it in the house of a presumed dead man. She was fairly certain there would be no fresh food and Kimi didn't seem like the kind of guy who would had fun things to do inside the home. If only she had woken him up, instead of falling asleep herself.

"And what are we supposed to do until dark?" she said, staring up at the ceiling angrily.

Kimi shuffled beside her, and she suddenly felt his hand against her thigh, before he pushed himself upright and straddled over her waist. He bent forward so that his mouth was close enough to her ear for her to feel his breath on her skin.

"I can think of a few things," he said, kissing her neck and sliding his hand up from her waist to cup her breasts.

\-----

Evening arrived quicker than Minttu had expected thanks to Kimi's ideas. She was exhausted from all the different ways they had made love and hungry having not eaten for the entire day.

She walked through the hallway into the kitchen, no longer bother about being naked in front of Kimi as they prepared to head back to her house in the countryside, leaving the rest of Kimi's things to be sorted by his friends and family whenever they got around to it.

Minttu smiled as Kimi dropped his rucksack beside hers and pulled her in, kissing her roughly on the mouth and pressing his body against hers as they leaned against the kitchen counter. She ached from their day of love making but knew that at soon as they were back in her home they'd continue where they left off.

Kimi broke the kiss, still holding her against the counter as he looked into her eyes and pushed her hair from her face with his finger.

"You know you said I could stay with you as long as I needed?" he asked, stroking her back with his fingers.

Minttu nodded and leaned forward, kissing his neck as she waited for him to continue.

"Well how about I stay permanently," he said, "I have enough money in these bags to start up a business. I can make a new life for myself with you at my side. We can roam the fields together and spend our days like we have today."

Minttu smiled, leaning her head on Kimi's shoulder so that he wouldn't see just how happy that had really made her as she replied.

"I'd love that."


	9. Chapter 9

Kimi became comfortable with transformations after his first journey and for several weeks he was distracted from his old life by the ability to run free as the wolf around the area where Minttu lived. They'd enjoyed trips out together, taking picnics and camping gear, and even swam in the great lake that lay on the outskirts of the town.

They slipped into a rhythm, sleeping late into the day so they could enjoy the nights as the creatures that were supposed to be their curse.

It was about a month after his reawakening that Minttu came down the stairs after a long lie in and found Kimi huddled over the kitchen table with papers spread over it and his laptop on the chair beside him. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and he was sucking the end of a ballpoint pen, a frown on his forehead as he read over whatever he had been writing.

"Breakfast?" Minttu asked, curiously glancing down at the papers which were filled with numbers and calculations.

Kimi tapped an empty plate with his pen, not looking up from his work. There were some crumbs leftover from whatever he had already eaten, so Minttu took the plate and placed it in the washing up bowl before pouring herself some cereal and clearing herself a space on the table to eat.

"What's this?" she asked, picking up some sheets of paper and trying to make sense of the scribbles and numbers.

"Plans," Kimi replied bluntly, angrily crossing out half of the page he was looking at and turning to his laptop.

He typed furiously, tapping the pen against the tables while he waited for something to load.

"Plans for what?" Minttu enquired.

She'd become used to Kimi's blunt answers. It had taken a week or so before she'd grown accustomed to having to phrase questions so that she would get the answer she wanted, often having to ask several questions just to get the yes or no she required.

"A garage," Kimi replied, "Make some money."

Minttu raised an eyebrow as she watched Kimi scribble some more details onto a fresh sheet of paper.

"And what are all these numbers for?" she pushed.

"Prices," Kimi answered, "Rent, bills, supplies. Just the stuff I'll need to set up. You could be my secretary so I don't need to hire anyone."

Minttu snorted, almost choking on cereal.

"Your secretary?" she scoffed, "So you'd have me sit by the phone all day making bookings for nothing?"

"Yes," Kimi replied, tapping at the keyboard on his laptop again and frowning.

"And where exactly is this garage going to be?" Minttu asked, ignoring his reply, "Aren't you worried that people will recognise you?"

"I'll dye my hair," Kimi replied quickly, "And I don't know yet. I need to find somewhere cheap to rent."

Minttu smiled, gently settling the spoon in her bowl of cereal and placing her arms on the table in front of her.

"You know my Dad's old garage is just out there in the yard waiting to be used," she said, "Why not use that? It's probably a mess, but he had plenty of tools and gear in there you could use."

Kimi stopped typing mid way through his next search query and turned to Minttu. He forced his mind to recall the outside of the house, but he'd barely seen it during daylight hours and they'd always rushed off into the fields on their evening excursions.

"Show me," he said, pushing his chair back and climbing to his feet.

The garage was set back in the garden beside Minttu's house with a large area of land before it that Kimi immediately imagined filled with vehicles that needed fixing. The building itself looked in good shape from the outside, although the tilting door looked like it might need a lick of paint - perhaps he could make a logo and paint that on the front.

Minttu fiddled with some keys, trying a few in the lock on the garage door before finally finding one that turned and twisting the lever. The pair stood back as the garage door creaked open, pulled up by weights on the inside that dragged it through the slightly rusting runners that caused all the noise.

Sunlight burst in through the door, revealing an interior that was thick with dust but made Kimi's jaw drop. He glanced around, taking slow steps into the garage with his mouth open in surprise. Minttu's father's garage was already well equipped with everything he would need to run the business he had planned - it would need dusting and cleaning up and all of the tools would need to be checked but this would save him a fortune.

"This is perfect," Kimi said, finally finding his voice as he turned to grin at Minttu.

She blushed back at him, glad that the garage was useful and that it meant if she was to help him, she wouldn't have to leave home and sit in an office all day.

"We could turn my father's study into a cafe-lounge for the customers," Minttu suggested as they headed back to the house after fully exploring the contents of the garage, "Clear it all out, decorate it nicely. I can make cakes and tea. We could leave the desk in there and I can take calls and make appointments but also do the stuff I enjoy like crafts and writing."

She smiled at Kimi as they both slumped down onto the sofa. They both knew it would take a lot of work to clean out the garage and get the full go ahead for the business to open, but they had nothing else to do and it gave Kimi a purpose now that he couldn't race.

"And we can work our own hours," Kimi added, "Take time off during the full moon and if it's a quiet day, just disappear off without having to worry about getting sacked."

The pair sat on the sofa, staring at the wall ahead of them, grinning as they both imagined their sections of the business up and running successfully.

"What would we call the garage?" Kimi asked, "Kuusikoti Garage?"

"No that's rubbish," Minttu replied, wrinkling her nose.

"Well you think of something better," Kimi said, his mind blank as he tried to think of something quirky.

There was a long pause as Minttu tried to think of something.

"Ok, we'll call it 'Kuusikoti Garage'."


	10. Chapter 10

The night of the next full moon came around faster than Kimi and Minttu had anticipated. Whilst still filled with nerves, Kimi felt a lot more confident about his first transformation after his death. With Minttu by his side, and her techniques of dealing with it, he was sure he wouldn't hurt or kill anybody this time.

 

They lay together on an old air bed they'd found whilst clearing out the garage. It was lumpy and smelled fusty, but it was more comfortable than the ground. Minttu had locked the chains and the cage door, placing the key in a safe which had buttons that were too small for a wolf’s paw to negotiate before setting two syringes of tranquilliser between them.

The TV was on at the opposite side of the room, but neither of the werewolves paid much attention to it as they tucked themselves under an itchy blanket and prepared for their first night transforming together.

Minttu's stomach roiled as she reached toward the first syringe. She had felt funny all afternoon, but assumed it was nerves about spending the night trapped in the cage with Kimi's wolf. She was certain that the tranquilliser would knock him out just as well as it used to her father, but she couldn’t thinking of anything else that could explain the feeling she was having.

"Ready?" she asked, pushing lightly on the end of the syringe so that some of the liquid dripped onto the blanket.

Kimi nodded, shuffling under the blanket to expose his neck. He looked confident but Minttu could tell from his breathing that he was anxious.

She cleaned his neck with a disinfectant wipe and lifted the syringe towards his skin, slowly counting in her head to give her the confidence to inject him. Kimi flinched slightly as the needle pierced him, but he quickly relaxed as the tranquilliser took effect and was breathing steadily in his sleep by the time Minttu had deposited the syringe.

 

As she shuffled in the bed ready to inject herself, Minttu's stomach roiled again and she had to clasp her hands to her mouth to stop herself vomiting. She glanced across at Kimi, peacefully asleep, and wondered whether she had eaten something funny during the day which had caused her to fall ill. She wondered if the emotional and physical strain of cleaning out her late father’s garage had caught up with her and she was going to need time to recover.

She looked down again at Kimi, laid exactly as her father would have when they transformed together, and had to force back tears of remembrance. It had been so long since she'd had company in the cage and the older she had become, the less likely she thought she'd ever find herself sharing it.

Kimi's body suddenly twitched before her, jerking her from her thoughts and back to reality. The sheets on top of Kimi were crawling and a quick glance towards the window told Minttu that the full moon was up and shining through the glass.

 

She fumbled with the sheets, groping for the syringe that she was still to inject herself with. Her fingers found the plastic casing and she pulled it towards her neck, ready to plunge the liquid into her neck, but the metal needle snapped against her skin in haste and the liquid dribbled down her neck, soaking the top of her t-shirt.

"Shit. Shit, shit shit shit," Minttu cursed, glancing around herself in a panic for something to use to knock herself out.

She glanced down at Kimi again and saw that he was in full wolf form now. His tongue lolled from the side of his mouth and his gentle snores had turned to quiet growling between his teeth. Minttu couldn't help but smile as she reached over and ran her fingers through the soft fur on top of his head. She was certain that she should have transformed at the same time, but she hadn't even sensed the wolf inside of her, let alone felt the familiar sensation of fur sprouting on her limbs and torso.

Minttu sat for some time, breathing in time with Kimi's growling snores as she tried to calm her stomach, wondering what had made her so sick that it had stopped the wolf from taking over. The TV suggested that it was the early hours of the morning, and though the moon was no longer visible through the window, a bright patch of light spilled into the cage.

Resigning herself to the fact the transformation was not going to happen, Minttu decided to try and get some sleep. She slid further under the sheets, resting her head against the pillow and her back against the warmth of Kimi's fur. 

She shut her eyes, hoping that sleep would come easily, when a crippling pain inside her abdomen caused her to cry out and vomit to rise up and spill out of her mouth, drenching the sheets, the pillow and her hair. The pain worsened and Minttu expected that the wolf would take over at any moment, but suddenly the pain stopped and she dropped, unconscious, onto the mattress.

\-----

 

When Kimi woke the following morning he was glad to find himself in human form, still safely wrapped in the blankets inside the cage. He rolled over, expecting to find Minttu lying awake beside him, but found her out cold, her face resting in a puddle of vomit.

 

Kimi panicked, pushing himself quickly onto his knees and rolling Minttu onto her back, before shaking her shoulders. 

 

"Minttu?" he shouted. "Wake up!"

 

She felt cold, but no more so than normal, and her eyes fluttered open as Kimi shouted. She grimaced, and rested her head back on the pillow, ignoring the mess her hair was laying in as she wiped dried up sick from her face with the back of her hand.

 

"What happened?" Kimi asked, his face still creased with concern as he knelt beside her. "Are you OK?"

 

Minttu struggled to sit up, resting on her elbows as she thought back to the night before.

 

"I didn't transform," she remembered, her voice almost a whisper. "My needle snapped and I didn't inject myself, but I didn't transform. My stomach was hurting and then I blacked out. I feel better now though."

 

Kimi frowned down at her and Minttu found herself copying his expression as she looked back at him. 

 

"Is it normal?" Kimi asked. "If you were sick? Is that why?"

 

Minttu paused, her eyes glazing over as she tried to think back. Never, in her whole life, had she failed to transform during a full moon. Her father had always transformed as well. She couldn't remember ever having been ill during a full moon in the past, so maybe it _was_ just the sickness that scared the wolf off?


	11. Chapter 11

In the weeks following the mysterious events of the full moon, Kimi insisted that Minttu rest whilst he worked on getting the garage cleaned up and had a few shady meetings put in place so that he could start his new business under a new name. It was a busy time but it kept Kimi's mind occupied and he found that he was so exhausted come the evenings that he fell asleep without the fitful nightmares of his death.

By the time Minttu had convinced Kimi that she was feeling well again, he had the garage almost spotless and most of the tools and pieces of machinery he needed for his new job were already in place.

When she first walked into the garden and rounded the edge of the house to see the garage her father had used so often she almost lost her breath. The outer walls were scrubbed clean of the moss and plants that had grown up them and the main door had been repainted with a logo sprayed onto the front of it. 

Inside the dust had cleared and all of the tools that had been found had been sorted into junk and those which could still be used. The floor space had been cleared and a hydraulic lift had been installed, taking up most of the center of the garage but still leaving space for cupboards and tool rails around the edges with a whole host of gadgets - most of which Minttu didn't recognise - on display. 

A cable looped over the top of the tool racks and down the edge of the door to a wall phone, and when Minttu followed it outside, she saw a muddy trench that had been refilled with soil that ran from the back wall of the garage towards the house.

"I had a line fitted so that I can answer calls out here while I'm working," Kimi said with a grin that showed that he was proud of himself. "Now we just have to deliver some leaflets and post adverts in the local shops and we're ready for business."

\-----

The official open day was almost a week later. It was a nice, clear day and Minttu was happy to sit outside, sunning herself in a deck chair after spending the past few days baking cakes in anticipation of customers. Many of the locals had responded well to Kimi's visits, suggesting that they'd book in for MOTs and services when they next needed one, but neither Kimi or Minttu knew if anyone would turn up on their first day.

Kimi sat on the edge of one of the cupboards in the garage, staring at the phone as though willing it to ring. Minttu watched as he unpinned and repinned his name badge - which read 'Jak Hollo' - over and over.

They were both beginning to doze off in the heat when a loud revving sound brought them to their senses and a car pulled slowly onto the driveway, a tow rope pulled taut as another car followed it quietly in.

Kimi beamed at Minttu, rubbing his hands together and walking quickly over to the first car as the driver climbed out.

"Hi. Welcome," Kimi said, shaking the man’s hand before turning to the car that had been towed and another man who climbed out of the driver’s seat. "What's the problem?"

"Clutch is knackered," the man said, kicking the front wheel of the car. "Saw your flyers in the local store. Reckon it needs a new one, what can you do?"

"I'll get it up on the lift and have a look," Kimi replied.

Minttu watched as the three men guided the car onto the hydraulic lift and the car was eventually raised high over their heads. Kimi pointed at various places under the car and chatted more than she had thought he would with the customers before shaking their hands and pointing them in her direction so that she could take their details and call them when the car was fixed.

Kimi joined them, wiping oily fingers on a cloth, just as Minttu was shaking hands to say goodbye, each of the men with a paper bag filled with cakes to take with them.

"Thanks," Kimi said. "Should be fixed in a day or two. We'll call you."

"Thanks Jak," the owner of the broken car replied. "Anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Kimi Raikkonen? He used to live round

here. Any relation?"  
Minttu stiffened. Her whole body froze at the sound of the name and she had to force herself not to look up at Kimi as she finished the note she was writing. Kimi, however, just shrugged.

"Never heard of the guy," he replied, no hint of upset in his voice.

"Ah, must just be some old genes from around here then. You're the spit," the man grinned, turning away and heading to his friend’s vehicle. "See you in a few days!"

As the car door slammed behind him, Minttu finally allowed herself to release her breath and she heard Kimi chuckling behind her.

"Maybe I

 _should_ dye my hair," he laughed.  
\-----

The day ran a lot more smoothly after that, with Kimi removing the broken parts from the car and Minttu taking a few calls for customers wanting to book in for MOTs and general checks.

Kimi didn't appear inside the house until late in the evening, when Minttu was washing up plates that had been emptied by some of the local school children who had got wind of the event and heard about the free cakes.

"How are you feeling?" Kimi asked, still concerned after her ordeal during the full moon. "Any more sickness? Are you feeling fully fit again?"

"I'm feeling a lot better," Minttu said, avoiding eye contact Kimi as she focused on drying a plate. "Almost good as new."

"That's good," Kimi replied. "You look a lot better. I'm going for a shower. Do you want to join me?"

He grinned playfully as he started out of the room.

"I'll be up in a minute," Minttu replied.

She waited until the sound of running water came from the room above her before placing the towel on the kitchen sideboard and slipping out of the back door, her face a mask of concentration as she tried to reach out for the wolf inside her.

She closed her eyes, casting her mind further and further until she didn't think she could reach much more. She found nothing. The more she searched the more panicked she became, until she opened her eyes and found herself in human form on all fours, sweat pouring from her skin.

"Where have you gone?" she whispered, knowing that after all that fruitless searching the wolf would not reply.

She couldn't even transform voluntarily any more.


	12. Chapter 12

Sebastian kicked his heels against the door of the sideboard he was sat on. He knew he should be paying attention to what Britta was saying after her frowns and scowls in the media pen, but he couldn't concentrate. It was three race weekends since Kimi's death but he couldn't help but think back to that weekend every time he went near his car. 

"And you probably shouldn't have said what you said to Sky," Britta said. "It's going to look bad on you rather than make the journalist look like a prick for asking."

Sebastian scowled again, reminded of the question that had made him lash out and storm away from the media and find refuge in the back of the Ferrari garage. Never in his career had he wanted the race before summer break to be over so badly. A month off was just what he needed to get away from the paddock and the press and take time to process what had happened and find a way to come to terms with it properly.

A hand rested on his shoulder and dragged him from his thoughts. Looking up, Sebastian saw the grim face of Bernie Ecclestone peering at him questioningly over the rim of his glasses.

"You look like you could do with a break," Bernie said, walking around to stand in front of Sebastian so that he couldn't ignore him.

"I'm fine," Sebastian replied, shuffling forward on the sideboard with the intention of getting to his feet and walking away.

"You're not fine," Bernie snapped, pushing against Sebastian's knees so that he slid back onto the sideboard and couldn't stand. "You need a break. Take some time off to regroup. Go somewhere quiet and peaceful and forget about Formula 1 for a while. Come back from the summer break refreshed and the Sebastian Vettel the fans want and love."

Sebastian's shoulders slumped. He knew it was true. He'd _tried_ to be positive and chatty with fans at autograph sessions but he knew he'd been abrupt with a few and the added stress of wondering if he'd broken fans’ hearts wasn't helping. All he had to do was leave the paddock and he was free for the summer.

"Look, why don't you take some of the boys with you," Bernie said, a forced look of sympathy on his face. "Take Fernando or the two Nicos. You were together all the time before... before Canada. I'm sure they're worried about you. Get that friendship back then you won't have to deal with it alone. Take some time to relax with friends who are still here. The mountains in Finland are always sunny and peaceful at this time of year, I hear."

Bernie patted Sebastian's shoulder and gave him a knowing smile before wandering into the pitlane and barking orders at some marshalls who were milling around taking photos of the garages. Britta had disappeared off somewhere and so Sebastian decided it was time to make a quiet getaway. 

He slid from the sideboard and slipped out of the door at the back of the garage with the intention of rushing straight to his hire car and out to the airport, but he was stopped by three figures waiting for him.

"Hey," Fernando smiled. "What did you want us for?"

The Spaniard and both Nicos looked expectantly at Sebastian as he silently cursed Bernie for arranging this so he had no other option. As if on cue, the man himself emerged from a garage further up the paddock and waved at the four drivers.

"Bernie wants me to take a break," Sebastian explained. "Take a holiday somewhere and relax. Finland or something. Fancy it?"

The two Nicos and Fernando glanced at one another. They'd all sensed Sebastian becoming distant in the past month or so and desperately wanted to be sure he was OK, but they'd never gone on holidays together before. It was a little strange.

"I'm not sure Vivian would appreciate me disappearing over the summer break," Rosberg replied nervously. "What with the little one."

Sebastian nodded. He half hoped they'd all come up with excuses so he could spend the summer alone. He didn't want to be fussed over because people felt sorry for him.

"I have holiday plans already," Fernando replied, clearly happy to have an excuse.

Hulkenberg glared at the two other drivers, not realising that Sebastian could see him, before forcing a smile on his face and turning to Sebastian.

"I guess I could take a trip to Finland," he shrugged. "We could have a road trip. Take a flight, hire a car and drive until we find somewhere to stop."

\-----

A few days and a short plane ride later, Nico and Sebastian landed at Helsinki airport and collected the keys for the car they had arranged to hire. Neither of them had booked flights home, agreeing that they would just drive until they got bored and then find the nearest airport and take flights back to Germany before the second half of the season started.

It had been a quiet flight. Nico had been too worried about upsetting Sebastian if he asked too many questions and Sebastian was lost in his thoughts. To Nico the flight had dragged, so when Sebastian climbed into the passenger seat of their hire car and began staring out of the window with a glazed over expression, Nico was glad to drive.

Several hours into their drive, during which Nico hadn't really paid attention to road signs and just went wherever his arms turned, he decided to speak.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked, knowing that he was going to have to ask the question sooner or later. "We've not seen much of you since... the accident."

Sebastian shrugged, not turning from the window, and Nico heard him mutter something that sounded like 'It wasn't an accident'.

"You're going to have to talk to somebody at some point," Nico pushed. "Wouldn't you rather it was someone who understood and knew the truth of what was happening? We're in the middle of nowhere. Nobody can judge out here."

"Bernie said I was supposed to relax," Sebastian huffed. "I don't think you giving me the third degree about my feeling was what he had in mind."

Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times before deciding there was nothing he could say in answer to that. He wanted to help, but he had to wait until Sebastian was ready to open up. If that took the whole journey then he'd wait and just hope they ended up somewhere that there was someone to talk to in the mean time.

The car sunk back into silence for several miles as the scenery changed from a suburban town to dense forest with mountains in the background. Nico had no idea which mountains they were or how long the forest would last, but he decided that he'd stop and find a place to stay the next time they saw civilization.

He sighed, glancing across at Sebastian whose chin was resting on his palm as he stared forlornly out of the window.

_Crunch._

Nico glanced in the rear view mirror, wondering what he'd hit, but there was nothing in the road.

The crunching sound happened again, this time followed by a large puff of smoke from under the bonnet of the car. The vehicle began to slow, despite Nico not having removed his foot from the accelerator. It slowly juddered to a stop and another plume of smoke emitted from the engine.

"Yes, Bernie," Sebastian muttered. "I had a fucking lovely, relaxing holiday."


	13. Chapter 13

Minttu had her eyes shut tight and her fingers clenched in a fist by her side as she lay on the bed. She was trying to focus on counting the seconds that passed but her mind kept slipping away to other thoughts. Could it be possible that _this_ was the answer to her problems?

She'd tried transforming every day since she'd discovered that she couldn't find the wolf within her anymore and each day she'd failed again. She hadn't told Kimi, but he had been too busy during the days and too tired at night to want to go for a run, so he hadn't realised there was anything wrong.

Another full moon had passed with herself in the cage in human form while Kimi slept as the wolf beside her. Her stomach had roiled and gurgled the whole night but she had managed to hold on without being sick or passing out, removing her clothing when Kimi transformed back to human and not telling him the truth.

It was after marking that full moon off on her calendar that she had realised.

 _298, 299, 300_ , she thought to herself. 

The countdown was over. Five minutes, that is what it had said. 

She opened her eyes, and listened for Kimi. He was still outside in the garage, hammering at something by the sound of it.

Minttu rolled over in the bed, glancing down at the nightstand beside her. It was still there. She hadn't really expected it to disappear but a part of her hoped that it would. Did she really want to reach over and grab it? What would happen if she did? Not looking wouldn't change the outcome, but she didn't know what result she wanted to see.

She left it just a few more moments before taking a deep breath and reaching out to snatch at the stick, pulling it up to her face and waiting for her eyes to focus.

Two blue lines. She was pregnant.

\-----

Kimi had no idea what the song was that was playing on the radio, but it was catchy and he found himself wiggling along to it as he tried and failed to sing the right words during the chorus. The brakes he was changing were fairly simple, something he'd done a thousand times before, but now he was earning money for his work it seemed a whole lot more worthwhile.

"KIMI!" Minttu shouted, interrupting the song and causing Kimi to hit his shoulder on the tyre beside him. "KIMI!"

Minttu came running into the garage, brandishing something in her hand before her as she bent down and leaned underneath the car to see him.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, grinning at Kimi who dropped his spanner and had to grip onto the car’s chassis to stop himself falling over.

"You're what?" he said, sure that he'd heard her wrong.

"Pregnant," Minttu beamed, holding out the stick in front of her. "Look for yourself."

Kimi reached out to take the stick before realising that she must have peed on it recently and manoeuvring himself so that he didn't have to hold it to see the screen.

"Two lines," Minttu said, pointing. "Means I'm pregnant."

Kimi gaped at the stick, struggling to find the words to reply.

"This must be why I can't transform any more," Minttu babbled. "And why I don't change during full moons recently. The wolf inside me must know and not want to hurt the baby!"

Kimi's brain kicked in and he realised exactly what she was saying.

"You mean you couldn't transform? And you didn't change over the last full moon?" he asked, not realising any of this had happened. "Why didn't you say something?"

"It doesn't matter now," Minttu said, brushing off Kimi's worry. "I realised when I crossed the last full moon off the calendar that I hadn't had my period. It explains everything. Kimi we're having a baby!"

Minttu beamed at him, her eyes filled with tears over something she had never thought possible. Kimi was about to grin back, still feeling slightly uncertain, when the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Minttu trilled, almost skipping to the phone line. "Hello, Kuusikoti Garage, how may I help?"

Kimi listened in whilst Minttu spoke to the customer on the end of the line. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and began taking notes quickly. Kimi read over her shoulder that there was a breakdown on one of the roads up from Helsinki airport. It was a road Kimi had driven himself many times - nothing for miles and miles but trees. He'd have to go out and tow them back. Could it have been any worse timing?

Minttu hung up and handed Kimi the paper she'd been making notes on.

"They need you to tow them," she said. "Sounds like they know what they're talking about but the engine’s blown so there's nothing they can do to fix it. The hire company gave them your number."

"Urgh," Kimi groaned, wrapping his arm around Minttu's waist and smiling. "Do you think they'll mind if I spend a bit of time with you first?"

"Yes!" Minttu cried, grinning back and placing a hand on her belly. "And we need the money now we've got a little one on the way."

Kimi placed his hand over Minttu's, smiling before kissing her on the forehead and rushing towards the car he used for jobs which required a tow.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he shouted, flinging the door open and almost jumping into the driver’s seat.

\-----

As Kimi drove through the town and out onto the road that led through the forest, his mind began to wander and fill with the prospect of becoming a father. 

His thoughts soon turned to worry as he wondered how he would cope with having a baby. Would he be a good dad? He'd never really thought about having children - what if he dropped it or fed it something wrong or didn't know what it was crying for? What if it fell sick and he didn't know what to do? Or got into the garage and injured itself somehow?

Bile began to rise in Kimi's throat and he almost had to stop the car to vomit when he thought about the full moon. What would they do with a child during the nights when they had no choice but to transform? Would the wolf inside Minttu know and let her stay with the baby? What if they stayed with the child and transformed and went out of control? They'd need someone to babysit. Someone who wouldn't think it was weird that they went out every full moon.

Kimi tried to make himself concentrate on the road as he imagined the house filled with baby things and Minttu holding a child in her arms. His frown turned into a smile as he imagined the child with Minttu's features and a short fluffy top of his own blonde hair.

Perhaps, when the baby was a little older, he could buy it a racesuit - a nice Ferrari one - and they could watch the Formula 1 races together. And then when the child was old enough Kimi could build a kart and they could start racing. It would have to be red and yellow of course, and the child could race under the number '7'.

The thoughts of his child’s future kept Kimi occupied all the way into the forest, and by the time he saw the still smoking broken down vehicle ahead of him, he'd settled happily into the idea of fatherhood.


	14. Chapter 14

Sebastian was still staring forlornly out of the window when he heard a car approaching and stop in front of their hire car. Nico was playing games on his phone, having given up on trying to make conversation with his fellow German, and jumped when Sebastian spoke.

"Finally," he huffed, opening the car door. "We can get out of here."

Sebastian climbed out of the car just as the mechanic from the garage slammed his door shut and turned to face him.

Both men stopped in their tracks and gaped at one another. Sebastian's stomach flipped and he had to hold onto the hire car’s bonnet to stop himself from falling over as bile rose in his throat and his blood rushed out of his brain.

"Kimi?" he choked, forcing himself to stand and walk towards the man who had climbed out of the other car.

The mechanic had all of Kimi's features, though paler as the blood had drained from his face too. The mechanic’s eyes darted in all directions and Sebastian could see he was considering running back into the car and leaving.

Behind him, Sebastian heard a car door slam and Nico pace around to the front of the car.

"Fucking hell," he swore. "Kimi?"

\-----

Kimi stared, dumbfounded between the two men in front of him. Men who he knew thought he was dead. Men he thought he'd never see again, let alone bump into in the middle of nowhere in a Finnish forest.

He considered climbing back into the car and driving off as fast as possible. Sebastian and Nico couldn't drive their wrecked car, so he'd be able to get away without them following and then he'd close the garage, take Minttu and move somewhere even more remote.

But he couldn't leave now. His friends were here. Sebastian had seem him. He couldn't just leave them here, lost and broken down.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, gruffly. "It's summer break."

Sebastian barked a high pitched laugh that quickly descended into tears and loud gulping breaths as Nico tried to hold him upright.

"What are _we_ doing here?" he managed to ask. "Never mind that... What are _you_ doing here? You died. I saw it. You... You _killed_ yourself."

Sebastian pushed himself out of Nico's grip and took a few paces towards Kimi, reaching out and touching his face, running his hands down his cheek to rest on his shoulder before descending into louder tears. 

Kimi pulled his team mate into a hug and let the man cry himself dry on his shoulder as Nico watched on, shuffling from foot to foot awkwardly and glancing at Kimi out of the corner of his eye, still unsure about what he was seeing.

"So what happened?" Nico asked, once Sebastian had calmed down and dried his face with his sleeve. "How come you're... not dead anymore?"

Kimi retold the story of how he had woken up on the sofa in a stranger’s house. He explained who Minttu was. How she had the same affliction as him. How she'd made a deal with some demon to bring him back. He told them about the work her father had done and how they cope with the full moons and how he'd decided to stay with her and set up a business to take his mind away from racing.

"Why didn't you get back in touch?" Sebastian asked, shock and sadness turning towards annoyance that his friend hadn't confided in him.

"It was too risky," Kimi replied. "What if I called you or we met up and then you accidentally let slip in an interview that you'd seen me. You'd be laughed at for seeing things or locked up for going mental. People have already noticed I 'look like Kimi Raikkonen' so its best if I stay in the shadows and renamed myself."

Sebastian looked at his feet and Kimi could tell he was thinking of a way that his old team mate could come back.

"It's better if I stay hidden," he continued. "I have the garage now. We only opened a few days ago but I've had a decent amount of business. I still have money from my accounts and... well... Minttu is pregnant. I can't leave her now."

Sebastian and Nico both gaped at Kimi. Nico’s face broke into a wide grin but Sebastian looked sceptical.

"You work fast," Nico laughed, slapping Kimi on the shoulder. "Congratulations."

Kimi grinned back at him before turning to Sebastian.

"I really like her, Seb," he said. "We have a lot in common and she's really helped me. This way I have something to live for now I can't do the things I'm so used to doing."

He smiled hopefully at his friend and was relieved when Sebastian smiled back.

"Congratulations," Sebastian said, and Kimi was fairly certain he really meant it.

"Now," Kimi said, clapping his hands together loudly and causing both of the Germans to jump, "what are we going to do about this car?"

\-----

Between the three of them, Kimi, Nico and Sebastian managed to sort a tow rope and drive the two cars back to Kimi's garage. On the drive, Nico steered the towed hire car and Sebastian and Kimi chatted together, catching up on the last few months, including Bernie's suggestion to come out to Finland for a break. By the time they reached Kimi's new home, it was settled that Sebastian and Nico would stay with Kimi and Minttu for a few days - with Kimi calling Minttu in advance to explain what had happened, so it would be less of a shock when they arrived.

Minttu showed Nico and Sebastian to the spare bedrooms that had barely been used. She'd apologised several times over the dust and explained that she rarely had visitors, but neither of the drivers minded, both just wanting to slip into bed after a long day of travel and stress.

"We'll be in the cellar if you need us," Kimi said. "It's a full moon so we have to lock ourselves up... You know."

Kimi looked anxiously at Sebastian, knowing that the last full moon they had spent together, he'd escaped and murdered one of the German's friends.

"It seems like Minttu doesn't transform whilst she's pregnant, but just to be safe..."

Sebastian nodded in reply, not sure exactly what to say at the thought of Kimi shackled into a cell overnight. He knew it was for the best though - he didn't want a repeat of what happened to Heikki.

Once the full moon was high in the sky and the sounds of Nico tossing and turning in his bed had changed to gentle breathing, Sebastian slipped out of his bed and tip-toed slowly down the stairs. 

He quietly opened the door that led down to the cellar and entered the room. The TV was on in the corner, and he could hear grunting snores from the opposite side of the room, inside a cage with thick metal bars.

Taking tentative steps in case Minttu was still awake, Sebastian crossed the room and peaked in on the pair. 

They were both fast asleep, Minttu's small human form curled inside Kimi's furry wolf shape. He watched them for several minutes, unaware that the smile on his face was getting larger as he saw how happy they were together.

His mind flickered back to what Kimi had said about Minttu's pregnancy and he wondered how the child would cope with parents who transformed into wolves each full moon. He'd have to remember to volunteer to babysit whenever he could - if anything just for another excuse to see Kimi again.


	15. Chapter 15

Sebastian and Nico stayed with Kimi and Minttu for a week or so over the summer break, returning to their regular lives only when their hire car was fixed and they were able to drive back to the airport and onto the next race weekend.

Time seemed to fly by for Kimi, who enjoyed Nico's help in the garage whilst Sebastian gave Minttu parenting tips and took her shopping for cribs and clothing and baby food and sterilisation instruments. Kimi was secretly glad to get out of the shopping spree, knowing that he would have grown bored whilst Minttu spent hours deciding on colours and petty little things he wouldn't have even thought about.

They had spent the evenings together chatting on the porch with wine (or fruit juice in Minttu's case) and questioning their futures. Now that Sebastian and Nico knew the truth about Kimi's resurrection, he knew that he'd see more of his friends and he was sure that by the end of the season half of the paddock would know his secret. It would just add further to the mystery that was Kimi Raikkonen, he supposed.

The first race weekend of the second half of the season was Spa and Kimi had been tempted to drive himself and Minttu over to watch in secret. He'd suggested the idea to Sebastian who had told him bluntly not to be so stupid.

"Literally everyone there will know who you are," Sebastian had said. "It's not worth it. Watch from home with Minttu, we can skype in the evenings and if I win a trophy, I'll bring it with me when I next visit."

Following Sebastian's wisdom, Kimi had stayed at home and closed up the garage for the weekend so he could watch all of the footage on TV.

"There he is!" Minttu shouted, pointing at the TV and grinning at Kimi.

The TV showed the cars and drivers on the grid and behind the interviewer, who was chatting to Jean-Eric Vergne, was Sebastian, his race suit unzipped whilst he chatted to Bernie Ecclestone.

Kimi noticed that his old team mate looked a lot happier than he had done at past races, joking and smiling in the background of the shot. Bernie patted Sebastian on the shoulder and walked out of the shot, leaving Sebastian to prepare for the race.

"It's strange that Bernie suggested they come here," Kimi mused, as he watched the footage flick to the pit lane reporter chasing down the chief executive for an interview. "I wouldn't imagine anyone would suggest a nice getaway break in Finland for summer over somewhere sunnier and more exotic."

Kimi glanced at Minttu, who was staring at the television with her mouth agape and a look of horror in her eyes.

"Are you OK?" he asked, confused by her shell-shocked expression as her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong?"

He reached out to take her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles lightly with his thumb and trying to stop her from trembling. Tears spilled from her eyes and her breathing became increasingly laboured before she sobbed loudly and completely lost control.

Kimi tried to wrap her in a hug and sooth her but Minttu pushed him away, standing up and pacing across the room. Her face was red and a mixture of snot and tears ran down her chin as she flopped onto the floor, unavailable to control her emotions.

"It's him," she choked out between sobs and gulping breaths. "His fault."

Minttu pointed toward the TV but the screen was now showing stats from past races and Kimi had no idea who she was referring to.

"What’s his fault?" he asked, quietly kneeling beside her and rubbing her back. "Who?"

"Bernie," she spat back before taking a long, slow, inhale and trying to calm herself. "It's him who brought you back. _He_ was the demon."

Kimi stared at his partner in stunned silence for several moments while this sunk in, before he barked a short laugh.

"Bernie's a dick," he replied, "but he's not a demon."

"He _is_ ," Minttu stressed, the shaking and tears beginning again. "He’s the one who I made the deal with. I'm certain."

"I'm sure you’re..." Kimi started before cutting off. "A deal? What deal."

It was Minttu's turn to be silent now as she desperately tried to think of an answer that wasn't the truth. She had forgotten about the deal with the excitement of Kimi coming into her life and then her pregnancy. Now she would have to leave her child when they were barely ten years old. A child she had with a man who should be dead had she not made the deal. It was such a conflicting set of emotions and Minttu wasn't sure how to process them.

"Yes," she whispered eventually. "I... I had to make a deal to bring you back."

"And what did you deal?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face as reached over and placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"My soul," she breathed, barely audible. "He will collect it ten years to the day I made the deal."

"WHAT?!" Kimi shouted, causing Minttu to jump and begin crying again, clutching at her swollen belly. "You gave up a part of your _life_ to bring a stranger back from the dead?"

"It was my fault," Minttu shot back. "It was my fault you killed yourself. I had nothing. No one. My life didn't matter to me. I'd have given my soul there and then if I had to."

The pair sat in silence a few moments while the tension from the outburst settled.

"If I'd have known this would happened," Minttu said quietly, rubbing her belly and looking up at Kimi, "I'm not sure what I would have done."

Kimi stared back into her eyes. He had no idea what to say to her. She was willing to die so that he could live again, but now he knew that he had to lose her in less than ten years time and their child would be motherless at such a young age.

"We will find a way out of this," he said, gruffly. "Bernie likes money. We can buy our way out if we have to. We will work this out. I promise."

Minttu smiled uncertainly up at Kimi, who shuffled so that his back was leaning against the sofa. He looked so determined and she knew that he loved her and didn't want her to leave him or their child. 

Minttu manoeuvred herself so that she was laying on the floor, her head resting in Kimi's lap and she silently wept, clutching her belly in her hands, whilst he absent-mindedly stroked her hair and watched the race in silence.

 

Kimi said very little for the rest of the day. Eating supper in silence before heading up to bed early. When Minttu followed him, she found him awake, tucked into the sheets but intently reading on his laptop.

She slid into the duvet beside him, picking her book up from the sideboard and opening it to pretend to read, whilst secretly taking glances at the webpages Kimi was looking through. She wasn't entirely sure what he was reading, but there were pictures of large ugly dogs, crudely drawn, and every now and then he would bookmark a page with an interested grunt.

Minttu turned back to her book, hoping to find some peace in losing herself in a fictional world, but her mind wandered again. She hadn't really thought about how her unborn child would cope with having two werewolves as parents but the events of that afternoon had her thinking. Would the child _be_ a werewolf? Would it depend on where in the lunar cycle the baby was born? What if her transformations returned and she gave birth in wolf form, would it be born into the world in whatever form she was at the time? What if she transformed _during_ the birth?

There were so many questions and so few answers and her mind kept rolling back to the fact that in ten years time she'd be gone and whatever she did give birth to would be motherless.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been ages. gonna post a chapter a day now to get this all out.

The months of Minttu's pregnancy passed by quickly, with her new life of baker and receptionist settling quickly as Kimi's garage business grew. 

She found herself becoming more and more adventurous with her cakes and a lot of the local old ladies had started coming into the garage for afternoon tea and a nibble. At first Minttu had been slightly annoyed that they were taking freebies when they weren't really customers to the garage, but soon they started insisting on paying her and more and more of their friends joined them, until she was almost running a cafe.

She was watching some cakes brown to perfection in the oven whilst Kimi finished off in the garage late one afternoon when she felt dampness between her legs and heard water drip onto the floor beneath her.

"Crap," she muttered to herself, pushing herself up from the chair and turning the oven off. "You'll have to wait until I've finished icing, little one."

Minttu quickly tossed a tea towel down into the small puddle of water surrounding the chair and slid it around with her foot. She ignored her wet pants and slid on oven gloves, removing the cupcakes from the heat and placing them on the side to cool while she set about preparing the icing sugar.

She sat back down to whisk the icing to perfection, ignoring stabbing pains and contractions in her abdomen as she tried to finish the cakes ready for the following morning.

 

Kimi rubbed his hands on his jeans before reaching for the door handle. He'd finally learned how cross it made Minttu to find oil and grease every time she tried to open the door and had started to at least _try_ not to get it dirty.

As he entered the kitchen he found Minttu half bent over the sideboard, sweat running down the back of her neck as she tried to hold herself up while icing the last few cakes on her tray.

"Ooooooh," she groaned, holding her side as she bent further forward, squeezing a little too hard on the icing pump and causing a mess on the sideboard.

"What the hell?" Kimi said, rushing over to her and taking the baking instruments from her hands. "Sit down. Are you... Oh shit."

Kimi was about to ask if his partner was OK when he saw the wet patch on her pants and the tea towel on the floor beside the chair.

"Oh God, oh God," he panicked, looking around the kitchen and waving his arms. "Oh GOD, I'll call an ambulance. Sit down."

Kimi ushered Minttu into a chair, but she stood back up again as soon as he let go of her, unable to sit for a second.

"No," she said, grimacing at another contraction. "No ambulance. Nobody knows I'm pregnant. I'll give birth here, we'll manage it. Together. Besides we don't even know what I'm giving birth to."

"OK," Kimi said, more to convince himself than in reply. "OK... OK... We can do this, yes."

He nodded to himself, taking Minttu's arm and helping her into the lounge and down onto the sofa before changing his mind.

"Actually I think you should do this in the kitchen," he said. "It might be messy."

Minttu had to stifle a laugh as Kimi helped her back off the sofa and left her standing in the kitchen while he went to find some pillows and a blanket for her to lie on.

When he returned, he pushed the table against the far wall and spread out a makeshift bed on the tiles before aiding Minttu down and taking off the pants she had been wearing.

Minttu lay on the floor puffing and panting. She pulled pained faces each time a contraction came and Kimi could tell they were already getting closer. He had absolutely no idea what do. He'd never been present at a birth before and wasn't even sure whether what was happening now was a sign that the baby would be born soon or if they had hours ahead of them.

"What do I do?" he asked, kneeling between Minttu's open legs as she breathed heavily and tried to lift her head.

"Get some more towels and some warm water," she said, trying to remain calm. "And some scissors to cut the cord."

"Should I help you push?" he asked, not really hearing what Minttu had said and peering more closely to see if he could see the baby.

"How the bloody fucking fuck do you expect to do that?" Minttu growled, her face red as she wiggled her hips in pain. "Just get some fucking towels and warm water for fuck’s fucking sake."

Kimi gaped for a few seconds at Minttu's outburst before jumping to his feet and rushing out of the kitchen to source the requested items.

When he returned to the kitchen, he found Minttu knelt on the floor growling loudly as she clung onto the kitchen table leg, her knuckles white. As Kimi placed the towels and the bucket - found in the garage - of warm water on the table, she rolled over and flopped onto her back.

"Thank God you're back," she sighed between puffs of breath. "You were gone ages."

"I was all of two minutes," Kimi replied aghast, before forcing himself not to vomit as he looked down between her thighs - was it _really_ supposed to do that?

He dropped into the chair that Minttu had been sitting on before her water broke and began to breathe heavily along with her. His heart rate was pounding faster than it ever had before and he was terrified about something going wrong. His hands gripped the edge of the chair as he stared hopelessly between Minttu's legs as she grunted and groaned and scraped her nails on the kitchen tiles.

"You might... as well... fuck off... back... to work," she growled between short brief pushes. "If you're just... gonna sit there... looking useless."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I DON'T KNOW. HELP?"

"HOW?"

Minttu screamed loudly, her head flinging backwards and droplets of sweat splattering across the kitchen from the sweep of her hair. 

For a few seconds everything was quiet, and then Kimi took a quick intake of breath.

"I can see a head!" he cried, kneeling between Minttu's legs again. "Keep pushing, keep pushing."

"What is it?" she replied through gritted teeth as she pushed again and more of the baby’s head came into the open.

"A head," Kimi said, almost crying. "It's the head."

"I mean," Minttu growled between pushes, "is it human... or a wolf?"

"It's pink," Kimi replied, unable to stop tears of happiness fall onto his cheeks. "It's human."

Minttu pushed again, with another loud scream, followed by a long breath of relief as she felt the baby’s body push out completely. She forced herself to sit up, leaning on her arms as Kimi cut the cord and held the baby in his arms.

"It's a little boy," he grinned, turning to show Minttu the tiny baby that they had produced together.

"Oh thank God," Minttu replied, moving her arms from underneath her and dropping back to the floor exhausted.

\----

A few weeks after the birth, Kimi and Minttu had just put the baby down for a nap when there was a knock at the door. Very few visitors ever came to the house outside of working hours and Kimi expected that it might be some of the old ladies wanting another cuddle, so he was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door.

"Congratulations!" Sebastian grinned, handing Kimi a large teddy bear as Nico stood beside him with a bag filled with nappies, bottles and baby clothing. "We came to visit baby Robin."

Kimi laughed with relief as his friends entered the house.

"It's quite good timing you have," Kimi smiled as they dropped their cases and presents on the floor and tiptoed across the room to where the baby was sleeping. "It's a full moon tonight and we're not sure if Minttu will transform. At least now we have someone to look after him while we're locked in the cage."

Kimi grinned as Sebastian turned around with a mocking expression of shock on his face.

"Here was me thinking that grin was because you were happy to see your friends, not your babysitters!" Sebastian laughed.

 

Robin slept soundly the whole evening, passed between Nico and Sebastian before being placed in his cot in the bedroom as Kimi and Minttu prepared to shackle themselves up for the night.

Sebastian and Nico promised to stay awake all night to make sure that the baby was safe in case they managed to escape the cage.

Around midnight, when the moon was bright in the sky, Sebastian decided to check on Kimi and Minttu. He sneaked into the basement and found them both in wolf form, snoring loudly but still chained up as they had been when they first injected themselves.

He smiled to himself, happy that they were both safe and had each other to cope with their troubles, as he walked back up to the bedroom to find Nico and Robin.

As he walked through the door, he immediately knew something was wrong. Nico was staring into the crib, his face white as a sheet.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, afraid to move closer to the cot.

Nico just shook his head and pointed, forcing Sebastian to come closer and look for himself.

Inside the cot, Sebastian found a small wolf pup, sleeping soundlessly in the baby-grow that they had put Robin to bed in.


	17. Chapter 17

Robin was almost a foot tall now. The child, less than 6 months old, could walk, talk and even transform into a wolf. It wasn't really controlled voluntary changes. He only 'popped' into his wolf cub form whenever his emotions got the better of him - usually when a toy broke or Minttu made him eat his vegetables.

After Sebastian and Nico had discovered the Robin was also a werewolf, Minttu had kept him out of the eyes of the old ladies who frequented her cafe. It was a few weeks later that Robin had transformed whilst crying over a tooth that was breaking through his gums. From then on she was determined to keep him out of public eye until she knew he could control the changes, lying about the child’s sleeping patterns or illnesses to anybody who wanted to see him.

As Christmas approached and the Formula 1 season came to a close, Kimi and Minttu prepared for another visit of their two friends. Sebastian had managed to drum up enough points following his rough patch around Kimi's 'death' to finish 4th overall and had spent half of his winnings on presents for his new favourite baby and wanted to give him them in person.

It had snowed heavily when they finally arrived and as they closed the car boot behind them, each of their arms piled high with presents, they noticed three sets of paw prints leading towards the door - two large sets of prints and one smaller that seemed to loop across the garden in all directions.

Entering the house, Sebastian and Nico found Kimi, Minttu and Robin in the lounge watching a film. They both gaped at the child who sat on the rug in front of the fireplace, sat up playing with some toy cars and a play mat.

"How did he get so big?" Sebastian asked, dropping the presents to the ground as Minttu and Kimi both jumped at his voice.

"He can walk already?" Nico asked, putting the size of the boy before him together with the smaller prints outside. "He's not even six months old yet?"

"What have you been feeding him?" Sebastian asked, still gaping at the small boy, who had climbed to his feet and stood looking at the presents the German had bought with him.

Kimi shrugged as he got to his feet and Minttu twisted around on the sofa to smile at the newcomers.

"He's grown quicker than average," she explained, despite this being obvious. "He's basically at the stage of a two year old now. He's getting bigger and stronger every day. He can already talk."

Robin grinned up at Sebastian as his mother spoke.

"Are these presents for me, Uncle Seb?" he asked, causing the German's eyes to bulge with surprise. "Can I open one?"

"Yes, they're for you," Sebastian smiled once the initial shock of the should-be six month old talking. "But you can't open them until Christmas day."

Robin pouted. Minttu and Kimi had placed a lot of presents under the tree and said the same thing. To the child it seemed like Christmas was never coming. The tree had been up for almost two weeks now and still they said it wasn't Christmas day yet.

Sebastian's heart melted as he saw Robin's sad pout and he bent over, picking up one of the smaller presents that he knew was probably a small cuddly toy. He went to hand it to the child but Minttu waved a hand signalling no.

Sebastian looked between the mother and child. The little boy’s face so full of happiness and hope, and the woman’s face stern and demanding.

"Save them for Christmas, Robin," Minttu said. "Remember that the less you open now, the more you'll have to open then."

The child glanced at his mother, confused by her words before coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to get to open a gift. His bottom lip pouted out and began to wobble and his previously beaming green eyes darkened and filled with tears.

"Oh no," Sebastian heard Kimi mutter, just before there was a large growl from the toddler followed by a crunching pop.

A small wolf cub sat as Sebastian's feet, growling and howling loudly in a way that told the German if it was still a child sat there it would have been in full tantrum swing.

"Robin," Kimi growled, eyeing Nico as the German nervously stepped away from the toddler. "Calm down. Stop howling."

Kimi bent down and picked the young pup up by the scruff of his neck before walking to the sofa and placing Robin on his knee, stroking behind his ears gently.

Minttu tutted and angrily snatched a torn pair of jeans and a ripped t-shirt from the ground where Robin had been sat.

" _Another_ load of stitching to be done," she muttered to herself, throwing the clothes onto a pile beside her spot on the sofa. "Here, I'll give him a bottle."

Minttu reached over Kimi's shoulders and picked the wolf pup up as though it were still in child form and carried Robin out of the room. He gave a little yelp as he the door closed behind him which made Nico jump.

Kimi smiled nervously at the two Germans that were left standing with their luggage in the doorway.

"Shall we take that upstairs?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and seemingly ignoring the 'stop biting' shouts coming from Minttu in the kitchen. "I have something to tell you anyway."

 

Once the bags were unpacked, Kimi decided he'd stalled long enough and that it was time to tell his friends exactly what Minttu had told him.

"Minttu thinks that Bernie is the demon that brought me back," he said abruptly, causing Sebastian and Nico to double take.

"Bernie?" Sebastian asked, almost laughing. "As in... our Bernie?"

"Yes," Kimi replied, deadpan. "She got very upset about it."

Kimi looked at the floor slightly confused, as though he wasn't really sure of what he was saying to his friends. When he looked up again, Nico's expression changed from seeming completely lost to as though he'd had a revelation.

"Maybe that’s why Ayrton and Roland came back," he said, almost whispering. "Perhaps Bernie had something to do with that as well."

Sebastian's face was serious now as he realised his friends weren't joking.

"Perhaps," he said slowly. "And if he _did_ bring you back, and knew you were here, perhaps that’s why he suggested I come for a break here. Maybe he hoped I'd find you."

"And,” Nico added excitedly, "maybe he got into the car’s engine while we were driving and broke it."

"Don't be fucking ridiculous," Kimi said. "He's a demon not a ... Well, whatever could do that."

"He might have ghosted in somehow," Nico said, still clutching at his theory. "Or maybe he can do it with his mind."

"Well either way, that doesn't matter now," Kimi said, waving his hands to call an end to Nico's surmising. "Minttu made a deal with demon Bernie so that I could live again. Her side of the bargain was that exactly ten years after the deal was made, he'd come and take her soul."

Nico and Sebastian both gaped at him. Neither of them had any jokes or wise ideas about how they could get Kimi's partner out of this situation.

"We need to find her a way out," Kimi said.

\-----

"What are you looking at?" Sebastian asked Nico as he entered the room after changing for bed.

Nico was sat up in bed, leaning his back against the headboard. His laptop was placed on his lap and he absent-mindedly pushed his reading glasses back up his nose.

"You're not reading fan fiction again are you?" Sebastian laughed, grinning as Nico flushed at the memory - there were some really weird fans of Formula 1.

"Have you heard of Hell Hounds?" Nico asked, not looking up from the screen.

"What are they?" Sebastian asked, climbing into his own bed. "A German band?"

"No," Nico replied, clicking to bookmark the page for the morning. "I think it is what will come to collect Minttu. At the end of the deal. The demon’s pets. If we could kill them first, then maybe Minttu will live."

Sebastian thought about Nico's words for a while before replying.

"OK, so how do we kill them?" he asked. "Wooden stake? Silver bullet?"

"I don't know," Nico said, honestly. "There isn't much information. All it says is that they're invisible."

Sebastian stared at Nico for several moments, before sliding down the bed so he was laid down.

"Of course they fucking are," he muttered, rolling over and turned out the light. "Of fucking course they are.


	18. Chapter 18

The three drivers, Minttu and Robin all sat at the breakfast table the morning following Nico's discovery. Sebastian ate his cereal quietly, glaring at Nico every time he opened his mouth as though to talk and Kimi was looking between the two of them confused as to what was going on.

Eventually the Finnish driver told Robin to go to the lounge and play, leaving the adults at the table and Nico free to say whatever he clearly wanted to say.

"I found something last night," Nico said, almost whispering as he leaned into the table. "And I think it might help."

Minttu and Kimi listened intently as Nico told the tale of the hell hounds and how he thought that fighting them might help give Minttu a chance at surviving longer than the ten years the deal gave her. When he finished his story, Minttu quietly slipped from the room leaving the men in silence until she returned with her father's battered old note book.

"I think I remember something about this," she said quietly, slipping back onto the chair and flicking through the tatty pages.

It was several moments before she found the entry she was looking for and slid the book across the table to Kimi, who began to read. It was scrawled handwriting and clearly written with several different pens, as though the entry hadn't all been at one time. The notes mentioned various different mysterious deaths which all came around ten years after the deceased came into great fortune. 

Every single mention had a note that witnesses had said the victim mentioned hearing growls and howls that nobody else had heard.

"There's more on the next page," Kimi said after he'd read out the entries to his companions and turned over. "Your father has written that he thinks the mysterious dogs are related to the demons. Maybe even like the demon’s pets?"

Kimi glanced up and saw Sebastian, Nico and Minttu were listening intently, each with furrowed brows as they tried to make sense of the situation.

"Your dad's written that he thinks the dogs might be stoppable. That they can be killed but the demon could create more and to prevent that you need to send the demon back - and I quote - 'where it fucking came from'."

Minttu blushed at her father’s writing. She was thirty years old and was still surprised when he father swore. It was such a rare occurrence and he'd always told her off if she used foul language.

"That would be an exorcism," Minttu explained, once she'd recovered from her embarrassment. "Anyone speak Latin? I've got the words, but I never really studied it, so I'd probably get it wrong."

Kimi and Sebastian both shrugged, but Nico grinned.

"I studied Latin in school," he said. "I could give it a go, but what about the hell hounds? Will they die when we exorcise the demon? And what about Bernie? Is he ... possessed or is he just an actual demon?"

"I think there is a fair argument for both," Kimi grinned before looking back at the page before him. "I think either way we have to exorcise him. If he's gone forever... Well I'm sure the FIA can sort something out when he goes AWOL. I think we should kill the hell hounds though. Just to be safe. We need to attract the demon and the hounds, kill the hounds first and then exorcise Bernie."

The group around the table nodded, knowing that the task ahead of them would be difficult, but all silently agreeing that it was their only option to save Minttu.

"So how do we kill them?" Sebastian asked, repeating his question from the night before. "They're invisible to the human eye. Does the journal mention that?"

Kimi flipped a page further into the journal, his eyes skimming quickly through the wording. He paused half way down the page and pressed his finger against the line he was reading, checking it through again before speaking.

"Your father thought that werewolves might be able to see hell hounds," he said to Minttu. "It looks like he'd planned to find out. Do you know if he got around to it?"

Minttu shook her head, leaning over to read the entry in her father's journal. She'd never read this section before, or if she had she hadn't thought it relevant to remember, so she took a few moments to read over it thoroughly. Could it be possible that werewolves _could_ see hell hounds? If they could, and the hounds could be killed just like normal dogs, surely between her and Kimi in wolf form, they could take them down.

"We should try," Minttu said, deciding it was the only real option. "If I'm going to die after ten years anyway, we should at least try to kill the hounds and exorcise the demon. At least if it doesn't work, I will die in ten years time knowing that I tried to prevent it."

"Well all go," Sebastian said. "If you need Nico to perform the exorcism, I can look after Robin. And since I'm the best driver here, I can man the getaway car if we need it."

Sebastian flashed a grin and Kimi and Nico both rolled their eyes.

"If Robin comes, I want him out of sight," Minttu said. "We'll take the 4x4 and he can sit on the floor out of sight in the passenger side. Nico you can sit with him until we need you to perform the exorcism. I've summoned the demon before, I can use the same methods and draw him back to the crossroads again. Are we all agreed on this? I don't want anybody doing this against their will."

Each man nodded at her as she glanced around the table, their faces determined and serious despite the bizarre nature of the task ahead of them. None of them, in their teenage years, would have expected to spend their late twenties hunting invisible dogs and performing exorcisms, but life is strange and they'd grown used to that lately.

"OK then," Minttu said, closing her father's journal quickly. "Let’s send Bernie back to hell."


	19. Chapter 19

Kimi, Sebastian and Nico sat in the car parked just down the road from the crossroads. Sebastian was in the driver’s seat, the ignition on in case they needed to make a quick getaway. Kimi sat in the passenger seat with Robin on his lap. It was way past the child’s bedtime, but the boy was wide awake and alert as he watched his mother digging a hole at the centre of the cross road.

"Are we building sandcastles?" Robin asked, unaware of what was about to happen. "Can I go help Mummy?"

"No Robin," Kimi replied. "You have to wait here, remember?"

The child pouted, shuffling on his father’s lap and folding his arms discontentedly. 

Minttu dropped the spade as she finished digging the hole, turning around and picking up a plastic bag that contained the necessary pieces to summon a demon. She up-ended the bag, letting the items drop into the hole, before scrunching it up and stuffing it into her coat pocket and walking back towards the car.

"I'll cover them in a moment," she said, leaning into the car window and planting a delicate kiss on Robin's forehead. "Now you stay here with Uncle Sebastian and keep out of sight, yes?"

She tapped her son on the nose playfully as he nodded his head.

"You have to stay nice and quiet, OK?" she continued. "Hide in the footwell."

Robin slid from his father's knee, into the small space below the dashboard on the passenger side. Although he'd grown a lot for his young age, he was perfectly hidden in the darkness.

"Don't let him watch," Minttu said to Sebastian as Nico and Kimi climbed out of the car with long loud breaths as they prepared for what may come. "Nico, stay here. I'll signal when we need you to start reading."

Nico nodded, tightening his grip on the piece of paper which had the words of the exorcism written onto it. He'd been practising in the car on the way to the crossroads and was fairly confident he was saying the words correctly.

Minttu and Kimi walked back to the hole in the ground and Kimi kicked the dirt over the summoning items with his foot. 

At first, nothing around them changed. The darkness was still and nothing seemed to stir, but then ahead of them, seemingly out of nowhere, a figure appeared rushing toward them, laughing maniacally.

When the figured slowed and came into full focus, stopping on the opposite side of the crossroads to where the pair stood, Kimi could see that it was Bernie.

"What do you want," the old man sneered, grinning at Minttu. "I gave you a good deal, didn't I? Do you want rid of him now?"

The smirk on the demon’s face made Kimi blood boil. He'd worked for this... this _thing_ for years. Had he always been a demon or had he been possessed like Nico suggested?

Minttu opened her mouth to reply, but Kimi waved her to silence.

"We want a better bargain," he said, forcing down the fear within him and stepping toward Bernie, in front of his partner. "Ten years is ridiculous."

"Oh?" Bernie replied, smirking again as he clicked his fingers. "Perhaps less?"

As the man fingers snapped loudly in the quiet night, three dark figures appeared around him, growling and snarling as they edged slowly towards Kimi and Minttu. Their green eyes, shining in the darkness, were fixed on the two werewolves who stood in human form, gaping back at the beast.

"Oh God," they heard Nico whisper behind them. “Are they here?"

Kimi shot a quick glance back at the German driver, who had one hand gripping the car's wing mirror as he jumped at each growl, his eyes darting in all directions.

"We can see them," Kimi said, turning back to the dogs which were beginning to edge around the pair. "Don't worry, they're focused on us."

As he spoke, the hounds began to circle around them, trapping them in the centre. Kimi and Minttu stood back to back, circling on the spot, trying to keep their eyes on each hound in case one decided to strike.

"So who shall it be?" Bernie asked, with a mocking laugh. "Who wants to go first?"

"This isn't what we wanted," Minttu shrieked, panic gripping her as the hounds circled ever closer.

"Neither of us will die tonight," Kimi spat, the fear still notable in his voice despite his attempts to sound threatening. "We will fight if we have to. We know what you are now, Bernie. We can show the world. You won't get away with this. Give Minttu her life back, let me live with her and we won't trouble you again."

Bernie laughed again, causing Kimi's spine to shiver. The hounds were still closing in on the pair but as the demon was about to respond, one of them broke free from the pack, its nose in the air sniffing in the direction of the car. It began to walk slowly towards the vehicle, baring its teeth in a low growl as it bent down preparing to attack.

"Nico, move!" Minttu shrieked. “Protect Robin!"

Nico jumped at the shout, panicking on the spot for a few moments before ripping the car door open and jumping inside. Minttu watched he picked the child up from the foot well and passed him to Sebastian, who wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"Oh?" Bernie asked, mock interest on his face as he followed the hound toward the car. "What is this? A _child_? Well congratulations guys, why didn't you mention it?"

He smiled evilly and clicked his fingers again so that the two hounds circling Kimi and Minttu stopped in their tracks.

Minttu didn't speak, glancing between Bernie, the hound approaching the car and Sebastian inside. The German clutched Robin to his chest, shielding the boy’s eyes with his hand. Robin would be able to see the hounds, but Sebastian could not and Minttu could tell from his expression that he was terrified.

Without warning, the hound pounced towards the car, landing heavily on the bonnet and shattered the windscreen with its strong front legs. Nico, Sebastian and Robin all screamed, but there was no time to scramble away as the hound’s huge head leaned in and snatched at Robin's leg, pulling him away from Sebastian's grasp, dragging him back to the ground outside the car.

There was a loud pop as Robin's human form changed from a terrified screaming child to a whining wolf pup and the hound who had pulled him from the car jumped back in shock. Robin limped away quickly, retreating under the car to lick his wounded limb, but the hounds surrounding Kimi and Minttu had caught the scent of fresh blood and left their guard to join their friend.

Minttu's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched her son, in wolf form, push himself further under the car, which Sebastian and Nico both sat inside, too scared to move. She watched the hounds stalk towards her little boy and without a word, seemingly as one Kimi and Minttu emptied their minds and transformed into their wolf counterparts.

They growled at the hounds ahead of them, baring long white teeth.

The fight was on.


	20. Chapter 20

There was a clash of claws and the air cracked with snapping teeth and snarling throats as Minttu and Kimi's wolf forms slammed into the hounds who were approaching the car.

Robin, in pup form, was underneath the vehicle, whimpering and trying to struggle away from the jaws of the hound who was closest but Kimi landed heavily on top of the beast, using his strength to drag the creature away from his son whilst Minttu thrashed at another.

The third hound turned to help its friends, biting down hard on Kimi's tail as the wolf dragged the first away from the car. Minttu followed suit, her large jaw clamped on the scruff of the hound’s neck as she dragged it along the earth to the centre of the crossroads, leaving Robin behind and hoping that the third hound would follow.

When the five animals were a safe distance from the car, Nico reached underneath, pulling Robin's small wolf form into his arms and stroking the fur on his head in what he hoped was a soothing manner. 

The child was whimpering and three of his four legs were twitching. One was still and when Nico examined it more closely it was cut and bleeding slightly. It seemed to be from glass when the car’s windscreen had smashed rather than a bite from a hound, but blood was dripping at an alarming rate and the German was sure that he would need medical attention.

Sebastian appeared next to Nico, his eyes alight with fear as they flicked between the Geman with the wolf pup and the fight between the hounds and the werewolves.

"We have to do something," he hissed. "We have to help."

"What can we do?" Nico replied. "Robin is hurt, he needs attention and we can't even see the hounds to help fight them. We'll just be in the way. Kimi and Minttu know what they are doing."

Sebastian glanced back at the fighting werewolves. 

Minttu had her back to the car, preventing any of the hounds coming closer, snapping at the legs of the two that weren't occupied by Kimi as they tried to pass her. It was a strange sight, knowing that Minttu and Kimi could see whatever terrifying beasts they were fighting, but all Sebastian and Nico could see were two werewolves thrashing and attacking at the air around them.

Kimi was rolling and snarling and scratching and biting at the other hound, ignorant of Bernie's cackling laughter as he watched the scene develop before him. The hound was fast, but Kimi was much larger and several times as strong. Each time the wolf swatted at the hound, the force would send it flying across the crossroads but it would not be deterred, picking itself up and charging back at Kimi to continue its rampage. 

The hound snapped at his feet, but Kimi launched himself on his hind legs, standing tall and growling loudly as he swiped at the beast again, flipping it onto its back before he pounced on top of it, snarling in anger.

"Get it over with," the old man laughed as the hound snapped back at Kimi's breast, narrowly missing as it tried to sink its teeth into his skin.

Kimi took his chance as the hound recoiled, launching at its throat and ripping his head backwards as his long fangs sank into the hound’s neck. The sound of hair and skin tearing cracked across the cross roads and the stench of blood filled the air. 

The hound dropped to floor with a weak whimper before its body shattered into thousands of tiny dust particles and floated away on the air as Kimi's wolf form caught its breath and turned to find his next victim.

Both of the other hounds had stopped trying to pass Minttu and turned to face Kimi, their teeth bared as they bent low ready to charge at him. Minttu's ears pricked behind them but Kimi sent the telepathic signal that he would deal with these two alone.

A moment of silence passed across the crossing before a high pitched howl and angry growling broke through, the fight restarting as Robin's pain became too much for him to bear.

Minttu watched as the two hounds set on Kimi. He was almost twice their size, and much stronger, easily knocking one of the hounds to the side as he snapped his jaws around the neck of the other, flinging it from side to side in the air as he shook his muzzle, its body already limp and lifeless.

The hound burst into dust just as Sebastian spoke.

"We need to calm him so he can transform back," Minttu heard him hiss to Nico. "If he keeps howling the locals might hear and come to see what is going on. We need to get him to the hospital."

Minttu glanced behind her, watching her son in wolf pup form whining and howling at the top of his lungs. She looked back at Kimi, who had his paw on the third hound’s middle, holding it down. He looked at her and nodded his huge wolf head.

The fight was over.

Minttu spun quickly, her tail wafting behind her as she raced toward her son, picking him gently out of Nico's arm by the scruff of his neck and taking him safely behind the car out of the way of the fight. 

She lay him on the ground, nosing at each of his limbs and licking his face with motherly affection. Robin's whimpering drew quieter as she nuzzled him and she set about licking at his wounds, staunching the blood with her tongue. 

The sound of Kimi tearing at the third hound’s flesh rang clear, a lifeless whimper the only sound before the faint puff as its body turned to dust. Kimi growled, his teeth and the hair around his mouth dripping with blood from the hounds as he turned to Bernie and slowly paced towards him.

Sebastian ran out from the side of the car, placing himself between Kimi and Bernie with his arms outstretched.

"Wait!" he shouted, facing his palm towards Kimi to signal for him to stop before he turned to face Bernie.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't let him tear you apart," Sebastian said quietly, his voice carried to everyone at the crossroad on an eerie breeze.

"Because he's a monster," Bernie laughed, his eyes flashing. "And you... are not."

Sebastian glared at the old man he had once considered a friend. His mind thinking through all that had happened in the past year and wondering just how much more ruin and destruction Bernie had caused in the past.

Somewhere behind him, Sebastian sensed Minttu signal to Nico and he heard the German shuffle forward and pull the sheets of paper from his pocket, preparing to recite the words of the exorcism.

"Are you really willing to believe that?" Sebastian asked, his eyes flashing with anger.


	21. Chapter 21

Minttu, in wolf form, huddled her form around Robin, licking his wounds as he whimpered sadly. She was vaguely aware of Nico stood at the front side of the car, muttering quietly as Kimi growled and Sebastian shouted at Bernie who did nothing but laugh in disdain.

She suspected that Robin's leg might be broken and was worried that he wouldn't be able to transform back to his human self if he was in pain. So far his tranformations had only happened on the full moon and when he was particularly upset and it was usually only when he had calmed down that he would switch back. What if he was stuck as the wolf until his leg healed or stopped hurting him? How long would that be?

 

Kimi rounded on Bernie, his eyes fixed on the old man as he growled and snarled, sharp teeth snapping at his legs as he edged him across the crossroads and nearer to the car and Nico. Kimi's wolf like ears could already hear Nico's words though he was certain that Sebastian and Bernie wouldn't be able to pick it up until they were closer.

"Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino," Nico said, his eyes fixed on the paper in front of him and not noticing that Kimi had drawn Bernie within ear shot.

"No," the old man breathed, his eyes widening as he looked down and realised he was stood in the markings of a demon trap. "No!"

Nico continued, ignoring the quiet outburst.

"Qui fertis ascendit super caelum." he said, his voice growing louder with confidence.

Bernie's body began to shake violently and Kimi growled again. Sebastian looked on, eyes wide with horror, his feet firmly planted in the centre of the crossroads, unable to move. Bernie's body was juddering so violently his feet were barely on the floor and he flung his head back, screaming over Nico's words.

"OK, OK, she can have her life back," he shouted, flicking his wrist and opening his fingers to reveal a light blue whisp which fluttered as though on a breeze around the back of the car to where Minttu sat. She didn't even notice it enter her body as she focused on making sure that Robin was calming down.

"Caeli ad Orientem," Nico continued, jumping as Bernie's head suddenly shot backwards with a strangled yell and black smoke shot out of his mouth into the sky.

Bernie dropped to his knees, his eyes rolling back in his head as he groaned.

"What was that?" Nico asked, shocked and horrified.

The smoke had dissipated but Bernie's eyes were still rolling in his head.

"Keep going," Sebastian shouted across the crossroads, wishing and hoping that this would be over sooner rather than later.

"Ecce dabit voci suae vocem virtutis." 

The last few words came out as a shout, as Nico reached the end of the verse and watched as Bernie's body began to shake again.

The old man’s skin began to blacken and Nico looked back at his sheet, growling out the last few words that were written there.

"Tribuite virtutem deo."

A loud whooshing noise like a fast wind breaking through branches whipped around at the crossroads and quicker than the men around him could blink, Bernie's body disappeared.

Sebastian rushed towards Nico, who had dropped to his knees. In the demon trap, where Bernie had been knelt, there was a black charred mark.

Nico and Sebastian stared at one another, lost for words. What had just happened? Where had Bernie gone?

"Did it work?"

Kimi’s voice broke the silence that had followed Bernie's disappearance. Sebastian and Nico turned to see him sat in the centre of the crossroads, naked with scratches covering his arms and legs.

"I think so," Nico replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Kimi answered, looking down at himself. "Where's Minttu? And Robin? Have they transformed too? I didn't transform back myself?"

Ignoring the fact that he was naked in front of friends, Kimi ran around to the back of car, finding Minttu also in human form, hugging their human son to her breast. Robin was clearly shaken, his face blotchy from tears and his leg badly scratched though no longer bleeding.

"Is it over?" Minttu asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes," Kimi replied, his eyes filling with tears as he bent down to wrap his family in his arms. "It's over."

\-----

Several days after the exorcism of Bernie Ecclestone, Kimi, Nico, Minttu and Sebastian were sat in the shade of the back garden, sipping wine that Kimi had been brewing in the garage as an experiment. They happily watched as Robin pedaled his small race car up and down the path in the garden, squealing with delight as he tried to go as fast as possible. His leg was bandaged so that the cuts would heal without catching infection but thankfully his leg wasn't broken and the doctors had said there would be no lasting damage.

"What will you do now then?" Sebastian asked Kimi, aware that he had asked this several times in the past few days and not yet be given a proper answer.

Kimi stared at the wine glass in his hand. He had been partly disappointed when he had discovered he could no longer transform. He'd enjoyed the freedom of being the wolf on his own terms, and dealing with the full moons as he had with Minttu he felt more in control of what had happened to him. But knowing that he could lead a normal life again now did feel good, even if his career as a racing driver would never take off again.

"I'm going to keep running the garage," he replied, before sipping more wine. "I'm happy. I have my family and I know that I can't hurt anybody now because the wolf is gone."

They sat in silence for a few moments, letting the thoughts sink in as Robin whizzed past them again, commentating his own imaginary race.

"What do you think will happen when they discover Bernie is missing?" Kimi asked.

They had returned from the exorcism and researched more into exactly what had happened. It seemed that the black smoke was the demon being expelled from the body and the disappearance of Bernie and the black marks on the ground had been the demon returning to hell. Bernie was gone for good.

"I think most of the paddock and fans will throw a party," Sebastian laughed, knowing how disliked the old man had been.

Kimi laughed as well before placing his empty glass on the ground.

"Maybe you should take his place," he said, punching Sebastian playfully on the shoulder.

"Maybe you should," Sebastian replied, swatting the Finn's hand away. "You're not driving anymore, you've got time."

"I could," Kimi smiled, imagining himself in control of the rules and regulations of Formula 1. "But I'm supposed to be dead, remember."


End file.
